Forsaken Path of the Wolf
by Fallen Path of Evil
Summary: When Wolf gets blamed for a murder he never committed, the Yautja sets on a journey that could change everything. Alongside a female Yautja who has offered her assistance towards him, odd things happen to Wolf and the rest of the Yautja society. Getting chased by a powerful Xenomorph who is more talented than the rest, Wolf faces enemies not even time can kill.
1. Chapter 1

"Forsaken Path of the Wolf"

Anger, loneliness, heart-brokenness, the paths of the canine are left with devastation, like a corruption, feeding a world of lies. High above the floors of the canine dweller, the domed head serpent pelted onto a rock, gripping his fierce claws around the hard material. The rare male serpent shoved his head back to a high pitched screech over the empty canyon.

The canine growled below the serpent, his wrist blades unsheathed, his eyes a flare of rage behind his bio-mask. He struggled to hide his rising snarl, for all the hate, all the suffering, all the lies, had driven the canine to this point.

But then again, the canine had always been an aggressive yautja.

The serpent, gone by the name of the humans as Desolation, wheeled around behind a Praetorian that stood nearly twice his size. The serpent noticed the canine, who had turned his thick gaze onto the black alien, and he hissed a warning sign.

The canine was a hunter, a prowler, a killer.

A Predator.

But this serpent was no dumber than the rest of them. Smarter, even. But then again, so was the Praetorian that stood by his side, probably teaching him all he knew. The canine lifted his left arm up and gazed down at his wrist gauntlet, before he clicked his massive hands on the keys, cloaking himself, and remaining invisible to the surrounding worlds.

No, this wasn't to hide from the serpents. They could certainly smell him from this distance. His plan was to move away from them, and to not draw more of their attention, stay cloaked so they wouldn't investigate this area.

The canine turned away from the high canyon cliffs, hearing the clicks of the serpent, who was lashing his tail impatiently as he noticed the canine crawl away on the cliff, making his way higher up the forsaken trail.

Looking up to the Praetorian, Desolation waited for orders. But the Praetorian, the royal guard of the Matriarch, remained silent, her head glued in the direction of the canine, who was slipping out of view.

"We should attack him now!" snarled Desolation, lashing his tail even more. To the canine, it sounded more of just the common serpent screeches, the Xenomorph every-day hiss. But this was not so to the rest of the Hive.

"No!" growled the Praetorian. "Not yet."

"Why not?" retorted the male serpent. "He's killed _scores _of us! He's outnumber and betrayed! We should take him while we have the chance. It could change everything!"

The Praetorian rose to her feet and lashed the Domed Headed Warrior across the head, making the Xenomorph tumble backwards in surprise, a slice of green, acid blood falling from his face. Drawling back to his legs, the serpent hissed in alarm.

"We will not attack yet! The hunter may be wounded and scarred, but we should not underestimate him. He has killed scores of us, yes, but we should not take this as a sign of another reason to kill him. It could mean that he could kill the score of _us_, too," warned the Praetorian.

"We don't show remorse!" snapped the warrior. "Why should we now?"

The Praetorian spun around and faced the smaller, weaker serpent with her inner jaw snapping and spitting out several times, as if threatening to tear the remaining part of the warrior's head off.

"Because we have a greater plan coming. You act like this is the last chance to kill the hunter! We will follow him, learn his plan, then we will kill him. Be patient."

Hissing but saying nothing more, the serpent crouched back over, glaring at the canine as it continued on his journey. The hunter, still cloaked, leapt onto the red, dusty colored canyon walls.

The betrayal, all of this had caused him to go down the forsaken path of the dishonorable. The same had happened to kin before him, and the gods before him, and some of them lived, and others were killed, but he didn't plan to be another wasted hunter, performing the Hunt. He was going to show all of them that he was the hunter they had planned on him to be. He was going to show them all.

The canine was no longer in the views of the haunting serpents, but he felt no less comfortable out here in the open. He could get ambushed any moment by sneaking Xenomorphs ready to tear him apart just as planned.

But he was a very skilled hunter, respected by his clan. He was only here because of Claw and Dark, his friends, who had accidently killed another yautja from their hunt and he was blamed for it.

But wolves are lone animals anyway.

And it should be his friends, his companions, his betrayers, the ones walking the path of the doomed. Not the respectable, honorable, Wolf, Elite Hunter of the Elite clan.

Wolf had been walking for hours on end now, feeling no more comfortable as he was when he had started. The path of the dishonorable was supposed to be angled towards the serpents' homes. You had to survive their wrath to make it to the end.

But if you made it to the end, you were a legend, an Ancient among Ancients, a hunter who should be praised for his deeds among the clan, even if you were blamed for a crime, you can gain your honor back.

And Wolf intended doing it this way.

Not far behind the hunter and his goal, Desolation swatted his claws at the rocks of the canyon, watching it tumble down into the deep ditch before shattering at the bottom. The Praetorian sat not too far away, her own tail twitching.

Desolation knew they were keeping a good distance from the yautja, but for a good reason. Even Desolation himself, a skilled, savage warrior of the Hive, would be beaten by an Elite Predator. He wasn't that skilled, he was afraid.

Starvation stung at the serpent, and he glanced backwards, not being able to see but sensing the human carcass that was rotting behind him. It had been killed by a normal Ridged Warrior four days ago, and they had been carrying it with them when they moved, but it didn't seem so fresh as it used to be. The Praetorian was the one who ate the most, so there was just scrap remains too. Nothing for feeding.

The Praetorian, the leader of the group, following the rules and orders of the Matriarch, stood to her legs when she sensed the hunter go out of her scent range. "Let's move," she hissed.

But no serpent moved.

"What is your problem?" she growled, impatiently.

"We're starving," retorted the Domed Warrior with a flick of his spiked tail. "You ate too much and you're ready to go, but we got scraps. We need to hunt."

The Praetorian could have argued further with the smaller Xenomorph, but with a pang of realization, she gave a low, warning hiss, with a further lash of her tail. "Make it quick," she snapped, as three warriors leaped to their legs to get ready. "There is a human civilization at the end of the canyon. Attack there and bring back as much as you can to feed."

"Oh, and bring Desolation with you," she added.

The experienced Domed Warrior also jumped to his legs and he padded over to the rest of the normal Ridged Warriors who were waiting for him to join them. Soon enough, as being dismissed by the Praetorian, the four Xenomorphs slipped off.

Racing through the canyon, the serpents quickly made their way to the civilization, to what appeared as a human complex, now used as a base for defense against the "Jungle Xenos" as the humans called them, but it had no defense for an _actual _Xenomorph attack.

Desolation, who always considered himself to be the leader of the group, even though they usually only followed orders by the Matriarch and no other, lifted his tail as a signal for the Xenomorphs to stop. The lesser serpents did so.

He hissed and lashed his inner jaw several times before he waved his tail towards a vent on the outside of the complex. A perfect route to getting inside, which was one thing. The rest of the serpents, eager to finish, noticed the vents and confirmed so by lashing and screeching.

To be silenced by Desolation, with a quick hiss.

Slipping off slowly, the Warrior Dome carefully made his way down the steep slope that he balanced perfectly on, followed by the rest of the Ridged Warriors. Leaping and giving a steady balance as he plopped onto the ground not far from the complex, the stealthy serpents crawled towards the vent, with Desolation in lead.

Jumping with claws and paws outstretched, the Xenomorph squished himself into the small vent, bending his neck backwards slightly so his long, narrow head wouldn't scrape the top of the tunnel. He flicked his tail, as sign for the rest of the serpents to follow.

They soon entered the walls of the complex, feeling the rapidly growing heat on their black, dark skin. Their hard, silver-black claws made silent, yet quick clangs against the metal as they scampered around, looking for prey. Desolation's inner jaw shot out and snapped with irritation.

"No prey here, but keep looking!" he hissed, lashing his tail. "We need to make this quick."

"Why should we listen to you?" growled a Warrior Ridged, her own tail slashing by her side. "No one put you in charge!"

"Because," snarled Desolation, "I'm better than all of you!"

An eerie silence followed the Xenomorphs as they sat there and gathered the information into their heads. Making a sound that sounded similar to a gulp but wasn't, the offensive serpent quit striking her tail and dipped her head.

"L-lead the way then," she whispered.

Snorting with approval, the Warrior Dome dipped off the vent and into a human sleeping chamber. He scrambled around, looking for a source of a human being here recently, but all he found was some cookie crumbs, which he endlessly ignored, due to the fact that it wasn't on his diet.

But then, he stuck his inner jaw out several times and he scented the air. _Human_ scents filled his sharp smelling skills. He flicked his bladed tail with ease, before he turned around and he glanced his head back towards the other serpents who were awaiting his words.

"The humans moved in the inner barricades after they were attacked by two hunters just some days ago," he informed. "They haven't left, nor do they plan on leaving. We will find a vent system to sneak our way in, then they will never see us coming."

"But humans may think these hunters have crawling abilities like us," said the offensive Xenomorph. "Don't you think they would have covered the vents?"

"Humans are clever, but they don't know our skills," he retorted. "I _want _them to cover the entrance."

There was some exclamations shortly after that from the other serpents.

"What do you think you're-"

"That's the only way-"

"Who do you think you-"

"_QUIET_!" barked Desolation. "You haven't even heard the plan yet!"

"Why should we?" snarled another serpent. "We can beat you if we tried!"

"Oh, really?" questioned the Warrior Dome. "Go ahead and _try_."

The Warrior Ridged crouched over and lashed her tail several times, before she started to circle the Warrior Dome, snapping her inner jaw with a frightful cry before running forward at Desolation.

Desolation leapt, going on the wall, going behind the Warrior Ridged as she swung her sharp claws at him. He landed behind her, before turning around and struck his tail at her, causing her to fly across the room and land in a cloud of green blood.

Hissing with resent, she scrambled back to her legs and lashed her tail at the smaller Xenomorph, who rolled forward at her with a snarl and crashed into her, holding her down with his muscular arms and shrieked before piercing her face with his own claws, making blood fly everywhere, hacking at her head.

Now giving a cry of pain, the Warrior Ridged flew her arms up to her defense, and attempted to shove off the younger Xenomorph, but he remained still, continuing to slash at her head, and she bled more and more, before she finally growled. "Enough!"

Satisfied, Desolation crawled off the elder Xenomorph and swung his tail and the others, who were sitting there, seeming to glare at something. "You care to try?" he growled. Shaking their heads, they stepped backwards. "Good. _Now_ we can hear the plan."

"After the humans know we are coming into the vents if they haven't covered it already, we are going to circle back into their sewage system. They will have their attention focused on the vents because the humans think us serpents as 'not smart' and don't have brains. But we will enter through their waste chambers and flee into their stronghold and throughout the complex. Kill as many as you can, then return to me."

* * *

Wolf looked at the human complex with his thermal vision activated, looking at marines as they scampered throughout the inside of the barricades. Narrowing his eyes, he slipped down the hallway and he turned on his Alien Vision.

Inside of a room, he saw four serpents crouched over, hissing and waving their tails. Wolf growled and clicked his mandibles together, before he unsheathed his wrist blades and he raised them together, making an "X" with his arms.

He waited to see if the Xenomorphs were going to attack him, but as far as he could tell, behind the isolated glass, they couldn't smell him… yet.

He took a few careful steps forward and he glared at the glass with his bright yellow and red remaining colored eye and he gave a warning growl. This caught the serpent's attention, however.

Desolation spun his head around, not being able to see, but sensing the presence of the hunter and gave a hiss of caution. The other Xenomorphs followed the same trick, and they lashed their tails together, some of them snarling.

Wolf could beat aliens pretty well by himself, even in numbers like this. He wasn't an Elite Predator for no reason at all. But he noticed a particular Xenomorph, a Warrior Dome, apart from the rest of the other serpents that had an authoritative look among the rest.

This was no weaker link. It was the strongest link.

And Wolf felt great power in this one.

Stepping backwards, the hunter turned and he cloaked again, not being able to hide from the aliens but the Marines, and he took cover inside of a human's closet. He gave a slight click again, due to the fact that these serpents ran everywhere he was.

But this wasn't going to be a problem. He had come into the human's complex looking for some things to steal and information to gather, no other reason but that. However, these serpents seemed to have something else in mind that the hunter could tell clearly.

Food.

This had the yautja at little concern, however. He didn't care about humans. They killed his kind and he would honor and praise those few humans for being able to slaughter one of his great brothers, but he hated them furthermore and further still. And that wasn't about to change.

Opening the closet again, he slipped out of it and he headed down the hallway again, leaving the serpents to their plan. Perhaps, their little scheme could allow Wolf to access the human's barricades and be able to gather information as his mission was to do.

He glanced behind him, before he sheathed his wrist blades and he headed down the stairs into the sewage waters. He felt the murky, green-blue liquid splash at his netted legs, but he ignored it and moved on.

However, human waste had a murk that he just _couldn't _stand.

But he's done it before, and he would do it again for the sake of himself. He didn't mind getting a little dirty if it was to prove his honor again. This was just like walking in another puddle of water, right? Just filled with waste. No problem.

He could tell, as he splashed through the water silently and effectively, he had entered underneath the human's barricades because when he glanced up at the grating above his head, he could see shadows and human footsteps in the open flooring.

He was rather surprised they hadn't looked down and seen him yet. Humans were very aware of their surroundings in places like this. After all, they risked getting attacked constantly, so being a little cautious would help… especially since Wolf breached the barricades.

After lurking his way through the filthy water, he found the exit, a direct trail into the complex that he could sneak into and find information.

But he had a better idea.

He was going to wait for the Xenomorphs to crawl in, then he would go inside.

So now, he sat down, and he readjusted his wrist gauntlet and unsheathed his wrist blades before he sharped it among his other one, and repeated the process. How boring.

It wasn't long at all when he heard silent, but sure, scampering in the vents above him. The serpents were on the move. He took the time to gather the rest of his strength and he splashed in the water a bit to cover his heavy Predator scent. Then, he cloaked and took cover in a small crack that barely held his size. But it worked.

Then the humans' sirens went off. A voice, a female one, something that had a panty feel to it, spoke over the intercom to address the marines who were inside the complex. "All marines, report to your firing stations after armor is put on! Get to your firing stations immediately!"

"Xenos have breached!" Wolf glanced up slightly, a rather short dread falling from his shoulder as he did so when he heard the voice coming from straight above him. "C'mon, get to your firin' ranges!"

Wolf gathered on his thermal energy and saw three humans trudging up ahead, weapons locked into their hands like a gate. They were moving through the halls, towards something on the other end of the walkway that Wolf took note of.

_So that's the way to their firing stations. Good to know, but praise the Gods that the serpents don't smell me in here, _Wolf thought as he huddled deeper in the corner. He couldn't tell the serpents' plan, but he was smart enough to know they would come to vents as well. After all, they've done it plenty times before.

But Wolf has also been wrong about plenty of things as well.

Then, he heard faint screeches in the end of the sewer. He was right! The serpents were coming. He narrowed his eyes and used his bio-mask to scroll in on the upcoming threat. At the head of the Xenomorph patrol, the Warrior Dome raced forward, faster and more lethal than the others, and he barked some commanding orders to the rest of the Hive that Wolf couldn't make out, but they didn't seem to smell him yet.

They rolled past the cloaked hunter, as the Warrior Dome slipped from view, followed by the rest of the serpents, and then it was followed by a chaos of screams and running human legs. The hunter took this as his chance, and he got up, smelling like sewage, and he darted into the human complex.

When he appeared over the top, there was a lot of blood. Human bodies spoiled on the ground, some being dragged away, by the smears of blood in several directions. The skinny ones got trashed, and that's all Wolf could tell. Now, to finding the information that he needed…

He entered one of the darker chambers that the room had to offer, and he saw a few video tapes, some notes, and an office signature. He decided to read them before taking them. He did have a translation device in his bio-mask after all!

He glanced downwards at his information sheets, and read the captions on them:

DAY 84 OF THE SUBJECT TESTS

**The subject of the Marine Study Testing Affair has been running well. He has shown signs of improvement from his previous surgeries. He also is magnificent on his fighting skills and is well trained with the gun. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to pass the remaining tests.**

DAY 125 OF THE SUBJECT TESTS

**The subject has moved into a coma over the past few weeks, pausing his tests and he may lose some of his memories. This poses a threat towards the men on my facility and I question his ability to listen when he awakes.**

DAY 300 OF THE SUBJECT TESTS

**The subject is out of control! We're all dead now! Help u-**

Wolf glanced down at the pages before he stuffed them away in his own compartments. A subject? Where was it now? Running free? Perhaps that was something he would feel inclined to telling the Council of Yautja when he returned from his journey.

He heard the screams of the Marines from down the hall, but he had no clue to whether or not he should take this as his chance to kill the remaining serpents, depending on how many they even had left. Humans always managed to pluck off a few, depending on how strong the Hive was at this point.

He snatched the remaining stuff, figuring it would be better to have it than not, before he turned around and he headed back for the sewers, planning his escape. This was all the information he would be needing from the complex to tell how the humans have managed over the past few weeks.

Or possible, even years.

But the hunter was not going to let the simple things drag his mind down. He was hard at a goal, and to prove that his honor was just as irreplaceable as it was before, he was going to look for some clues on this subject. Perhaps it showed signs of a threat towards his plans.

He leapt down off the railing in the sewers and he managed to keep his feet out of the stinky human waste water for several minutes but he had to face it sooner than later. He heard the last human's ugly screech, but he was done with the complex.

But as always, he was in and out without a single soul, not a human, knowing he was there.

* * *

"Quickly!" hissed Desolation as he bounded back and forth across incoming gunfire, feeling the radiance of its heat and speed pressing on his tail as he got shot several times. Leaks of furious acid blood spilled from the wound, but Desolation would not submit to the humans. Never had, never will.

Two of the Xenomorphs had been killed in the battle, but over thirty humans took their place. Even though he knew that the Praetorian would not be happy with him, he had the courage to say that at least they had less mouths to fill.

But that wasn't going to cut it for sure.

"The humans are fleeing! Kill them before they can escape!" he roared, as he pounced on one of the Marine's back before he used his long, spiked tail and he shoved it into the Marine's head and he hissed over the night sky, the sound of his screech a warning to all others within the miles.

Humans, always so fragile and afraid, were turning to flee back all the way into the escape chambers, down near the sewers, but the Xenomorphs were smart enough to know not to follow them. The Marines would have their guns pointed at every entrance, and they would all die.

So he decided what they had was enough to feed the rest of the horde.

He rose his tail to tell the remaining Xenomorph that they were all good. She slowed down and he heard her hiss. It was the offensive warriors that had first questioned his authority over the rest of the serpents.

"How are two going to bring this all back?" she snarled, such hate in her voice that the words almost burned inn her throat. "Two of our kin are dead, thanks to you! And guess what you did? You sat and _watched_!"

He felt his own growl form in the back of his throat, but he forced it down with all means necessary. "We would have all died if we had tried to save them. We lose more than just two of our kind every day and you complain because it was at my claws!"

"You did this for yourself!" she snapped, lashing her tail with ignorance. "How does Suffer trust you?"

"Because I know what I'm doing!" he growled, zipping his tail like a whip in the wind. "And I don't suggest you know better ideas to get food for over fifty Xenomorphs? Sacrificing two is no big deal, especially," he said, looming over her, his shiny head gleaming in the light. "If they don't listen to orders."

"And I won't either!" she stated, gripping her claws around the hard concrete of the complex, flexing them with the eagerness to kill. "I won't stand by to listen to you ramble about how this was better for everyone! Clearly, it wasn't better for them!"

"They are Warriors in the face of combat!" he retorted, no longer be able to hold back the anger that darkened with every word that she said. "There are some that are too weak to survive! Only the strongest will awake to see a new morning! And clearly, you are among those ones, for now."

She twitched with envy, for what exactly, Desolation could not read. Power, perhaps? No heed now, for this serpent was just getting more rage in her words with every second going by. "I will not listen to you anymore, Desolation! I will kill you now, and say that you were smothered in the fight!"

Desolation gave out a sound that sounded like a mocking laugh. "Suffer knows I would not have died to simple humans, rat," he said, as he flicked his claws at her. "She would suspect something if you were to return empty-handed, being the last one standing. And what makes you think you can kill me?"

"Everything!" she roared.

Now it was his turn to really ramble. "I am Desolation of the Horde! I rise without mercy, and I kill without question! I listen to orders from the higher, and I dominate the lower! If you think you can kill me, you can't! Try, little one! I _will _see _your _failures!"

She leapt up onto her hind legs and she rocketed forward with such a power that it would break a human's jaw in seconds. Leaping from side to side, up and down, she pelted into the Warrior Dome, making him tumble backwards and fall to his side.

But he was quick to retaliate. He gushed to his legs, before dashing across the clearing, and using his large tail to bat the Warrior Ridged's head, and blood flushed out at him, but it was not going to penetrate the serpent's skin.

The Warrior Ridged let out a hiss of terror but she clearly was not finished yet. Leaping to her feet and rolling into action, she barreled across the plain and rammed Desolation, making him slam into a wall, and he let out a small but still aware hiss before he used his long front claws and sliced her belly.

She snarled, more blood pouring clean from her wounds and she tumbled to the ground, bleeding out now. He raced over to her in a flash of a second, trying to rip more and more at the enemy, but she was cleverer than he had given her. She lashed her tail at him, making him fall to the ground with a plop, before she raced to her legs and darted at him.

He lifted all of his four legs up, and his tail, and watched her as she landed down on all, claws, tail blades, then snapped with the inner jaw. This made her hiss and worm deeper into his grip, and her wormed and she tried but no success seemed possible.

Finally, she lifted her claws up into the sky, them twitching with her effort, but she slid her arm slowly down, and she hung loosely, and he pushed her off with a growl and a hiss. He turned and looked at her, before scarfing her body with a last tail strike to make sure she was dead for good.

He glanced down at the bodies of humans that he know had to eat. He made a motion with his lips that seemed like a grin, before he settled down next to one of the fatter ones and he made his fill. All those Xenomorphs died with honor except the last one that had tried to murder him in warm blood.

He sat up and he gripped the sides of a human and tossed the remains onto his back. How much could he carry to the Hive without it all falling off? The answer to his question was uncertain the not a question he was going to take heed with right now. Slipping about three more human bodies on his back, he knew it would last them a little while if they took a fair share.

Turning around and climbing up the barriers of the complex, the Warrior Dome lifted his head back and he let out a long, loud scream into the night, telling all of his great win against not only the humans but the betraying serpent itself. Then, he slipped down the wall and into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**There is quite a bit of switching back and forth between Wolf and the Xenomorphs, but that will only be for the first two chapters! Don't think one's part is too long than the other, because next chapter we will be focused sorely and entirely on Wolf. Enjoy!**

Wolf was making his way across the large plains of the Refinery hours after his encounter upon the human complex. His wrist blades unsheathed because of the risk of getting jumped by Xenomorphs, Wolf knew his next target.

Inside the Refinery.

It was risky, that was no doubt, and there was not going to be any Xenomorphs there to assist him in his plans. But he did have a few ideas on how to get inside, because he has done it before. No struggle.

The aggressive yautja knew he had hours of time before he actually managed to reach the lab, but this made him no less slow in his pace. He wanted to accomplish his mission in a few days' time, not just the Refinery, but his entire journey itself.

But he didn't want to face the Council of Yautja and their wrath towards him. He would have to answer questions, and Wolf would have to defend himself and tell the entire truth. The fact that he would never kill one of his own kin, especially in the same clan.

Wolf knew it was Dark and Claw who had accidently killed the yautja while running from a very powerful, undescribed Xenomorph, as they had told him. But he was actually pretty confused. What Xenomorph was powerful enough, even by a Queen's wrath, to send three yautja dashing back into their homes, one accidently getting killed by the other?

All these unanswered questions Wolf would need to look into himself in order to stay innocent of something that he didn't even do. But in time, he would be sure to have found out the answers. He just needed a little research.

But in time, he wasn't the only thing out there.

Something crunched beneath the sand and sticks of the Refinery's realm. Wolf immediately stopped and turned around, and he felt his hoarse breath hit the inside of his bio-mask.

It was followed by an eerie silence that made even Wolf feel chills running up his spine like water over the sands of the beach. He growled and clicked his mandibles together before he turned around and attempted to make a dash for it.

Something was watching him.

He could feel its presence, lurking in the shadows, hidden by the darkness that surrounded the very both of them. And he was going to do something.

He lifted his arms up slightly, before bringing them down and stretching them out in a menacing way, before he let out a large yautja roar that echoed over the blandness of the Refinery's world.

Whatever was following him, whatever had its gaze glued to him in whatever manner, turned around and fled back into the darkness, not to be followed but left by the Wolf predator. He had much more important things to do.

Not only was that thing making him suspicious, but also very curious. What would just… stand there? Not any of this really had him too worried, just confused.

Wolf was now wary, far more than he had been recently. He swore there was some unusual creature that as glaring at him from behind all reality. Wolf was going to keep his eye open for good.

After a few more hours of the same boring travel, Wolf could see the Refinery in his eye view, glowing so darkly one would have thought Hell created it. He had been here few times, but he had been there before, sneaking his way in there with Dark when the two were barely Young Bloods.

He remembered the elder days when him and Dark, Claw, and Spartan who partake on missions together, but Spartan was not a Young Blood with them. At that time, he was already an Elite Predator who had a sense of fun in killing humans in the Refinery who allowed Dark and Wolf to host missions similar to that topic, but no one else.

But now, Spartan was the leader of the Elite clan, and his sense of humor and fun in killing dropped into a more responsible way, his life what was once a bound of fun now turned into a serious, harsh yautja who did what was fair to the entire clan, and he was the one who decided that Wolf take the dishonorable trail that he was on now.

Wolf knew that Spartan and he were no longer the pals that they used to be. They now were two of the same clans, hunters just working among each other willing to do what they could for their clan, and the best for their honor. It also happened to those who were far too powerful for their own good.

But Spartan and him no longer chatted like they used to, ringing the empty halls of the Yautja Capitol with their jokes and chorus. But, Wolf had turned just as serious as Spartan himself, no longer thinking that the Hunt was just about fun and having the honor to prove they were the best. Wolf knew honor to no bounds. He was willing to die to keep it protected to anything that tried to prove him wrong.

Even if it involved the death of his own clan mate, someone he had promised to protect since the start of time, the time of being blooded, he would protect his honor. The time he killed his first Xenomorph and was looked well upon by the rest of his clan. He had honor and respect then, and he wasn't going to lose it for some silly mistake.

But Wolf had a lot ahead of him, and he was willing to face it like he always did. An "I" was the only letter in "Team" now. And he wasn't going to get drilled to the point that he could no longer fight for his honor.

Because then, his honor would be gone just as fast as his life, and he would be a bad blood, and his entire world, everything he ever trained for would have turned around. But Wolf took no need as he approached the Refinery. All of those days with Spartan, Claw, and Dark were over now.

It was time to get his honor back.

* * *

Desolation stumbled upon the Hive, where they were simply resting and sitting there. The male Warrior Dome spun his head around to look at the female Praetorian that the dead offensive Warrior Ridged had accused the name of Suffer. Slowly, the smaller serpent crawled over to the much larger alien.

Turning down to look at the smaller Xenomorph, Suffer almost seemed to let out an exclamation, with what Desolation could not have read, but then her faced dulled like a road flat with tire marks when she saw he was the only one standing there.

"Where are the others, Desolation?" snarled Suffer as she flicked her tail impatiently at the male Warrior.

"Dead," he growled, as he lashed his own tail. "Two of them were finished off by the humans."

This seemed to catch her attention. "There were four of you that went, and if only two of them were killed by the Marines, what happened to the third one?"

Desolation made a sound that sounded similar to a swallow. "She attacked me, thought that their deaths were my fault. If I hadn't, neither of us, me and her, would be standing here."

But the Praetorian seemed to hang on this conversation longer than Desolation seemed to want. "What did you do?" she asked softly, but it was not a note of love and warmth in her voice. At the edge of her words, rage and fury crept into them like a disease, ready to rot.

This only made Desolation feel worse. "I had to kill her, Suffer! She would have killed me if I stood there and let her fight me!"

Suffer rose to her feet, menacing and tall like a giant, and she rained down upon the smaller Warrior Dome, making him fly across the sand dunes until he hit a rock, making hi squeal with surprise and pain. He lifted slowly to his feet, and then lashed his tail, not without fear, but no understanding.

"You've killed plenty of betraying Xenomorphs in your time! I get lashed because it was _me _this time around?" he spat.

"No," snapped the elder serpent, as she flicked her claws at the smaller Warrior who was hissing with might. "The fact that you couldn't save one of them is my issue."

This did not improve Desolation's case, but he did seem to cool off, a little. "Fine," he growled as he spun around and he plopped down. "Let the others take their fill," he added. "I ate before I arrived."

Suffer only snorted before she turned around and stalked back to the rest of the horde who were waiting for the rest of their food to be offered for them. Desolation glanced down at the scratch that raked down his side, and he grimaced in pain. A trickle of green acid blood was falling down his side slowly, but he ignored it.

He then could hear the sound of the other Xenomorphs eating their food, and he growled underneath his breath. He sat up and he padded back to the rest of the Hive, no longer feeling rage like he used to but he was still annoyed, and he splat down on his side, watching the Warriors eating their meal.

At least this meant they could move on soon. They had let the Predator slip away while they were in the human complex, and they knew he would be on the move making his way to his next target. But they hadn't been moving the slightest bit, and he knew that it would take them a while to catch up. After all, they could not perform a rush on him. That would not work out too well.

Desolation watched Suffer survey the savage Warriors as they tackled each other for a slab of food, and Desolation would be doing the same if he hadn't eaten on his way back. It saved the horde some more food anyway. This number of human kills would do them for at least a week with everyone getting a fair amount of food to fuel themselves.

The slim serpent turned his head to glance backwards at the Hive even though his head was opaque. He slivered forward, before he approached Suffer for a second time.

"I think we should move now, Suffer," said Desolation as he looked up at his leader. "We need to stay on the hunter's heels, or we may not get a choice but to wait for him to circle back."

Suffer seemed to let off a growl, but it was paused when she shot her inner jaw several times out to consider. "Very well then, Desolation." She turned around and then she was no longer addressing him since she rose her voice high above the squeals of the other serpents. "Carry the food on the larger Warriors! We're moving!"

Desolation made a symbol on his mouth that could be considered a smile by some, but then he frowned again as he tumbled to his legs and he bounced after the remaining Warriors who were slipping out after the Praetorian.

Racing across the landscape, the Warrior Dome watched the older Praetorian bound to a stop and raise her tail as a signal for the rest of them to do the same. Desolation crawled in next to her, and he sniffed the air with his sharp sense of smell.

And he picked up a scent.

And there he was, Wolf, crawling across the floor, making his way for the entrance to the Refinery. Desolation could tell that the Hunter was cloaked, but that made him no more subtle for the serpents to detect. They could clearly smell him and knew exactly where he was.

Suffer noticed him as well, even though her sense of smell was slightly worse than the rest of the horde, and then she growled and lashed her tail. "It's that pathetic hunter! He seems to be heading for the Refinery for information on the humans. We will devise a plan, then we will go in after him to see what we can find of this place."

Desolation bounded over next to the female serpent to see what she had in mind. Several other more intrigued warriors did the same as he did. Suffer tilted her head and waited for the rest of them to gather around before she started.

"Last time we saw the hunter as an entire horde," growled Suffer. "We let him get away and he slipped off into the trees. We did not know his plans, but we do now. He has gone looking for information to his Clan, information we may or may not prize or value, but some of it may give away some of our secrets not even the Yautja know about."

She paused before continuing. "We are going in there in groups of five, each of us, and we are going to sneak through the vents to gain access to the others room in the Refinery. This will gain us an advantage over the hunter and we will distract him and whatever humans are in there, and we will kill upon necessary."

"Are you going in there?" asked a Drone, flicking his own tail.

"Yes," replied Suffer. "It'll be harder for me to be unnoticed the first few minutes of our engagement, but we might be able to pull this off if everything runs smoothly. Any questions?"

There was a silence that followed her question, showing that they clearly understood.

"Good," she snarled, as he lashed her tail and swat her inner jaw out of her mouth several times. "We can organize the groups."

* * *

Wolf was nearly at the entrance of the Refinery. He hadn't seen the Xenomorphs on the hill, but he really wasn't aware at the moment. He was near his goal and now was slipping inside.

But when he usually heard the sounds of a faint hum or human footsteps, the place was quiet.

Too quiet.

He narrowed his eyes as he filed into the large research lab and then he turned on his Alien Vision, a new visor of green filing his field of vision. But he saw nothing. Not a human body, not a serpent, not a drain of blood, and neither did her hear sounds anywhere in the whole Refinery.

Something wasn't right.

Wolf glared down the many long hallways of the Refinery and he held his breath as he slipped into the next room. Glancing backwards at the room he just left, he thought he heard something back there. Something big. Something menacing.

But he thought he maybe was hearing things when the room went back to dead silence. This wasn't going by unnoticed, but nor was he going to investigate yet. If he heard a noise behind him again, he would start looking around.

Going deeper down into the Refinery, Wolf felt a new wave of unease as he approached the next floor below him. Elevators and long walkways were shining down the very essence of this place, and it usually was full of humans or androids.

But now it only seemed like a dead quiet was seeping in his ears. And this wasn't making him any more comforted than before he even arrived here.

He entered the next room and then he nearly stumbled backwards with the sight that he saw. A stench of rot and decay filtered through his nose, and then he let out a hoarse growl as he stood taller and he glared back down at the hole that he had once looked into from the next room over.

Bodies. Hundreds and hundreds of dead, rotten human bodies, pelted with blood and wounds, were tumbled all over deep pit, making the entire floor unseen by where the Wolf Predator sat. And normally, the Predator would not feel this much disgust.

But these humans were just dead looking. That seemed odd to say, since they were, but usually, a human has a ring in his eyes, a thrill of love and constancy, a gleam of hope and pride, but now they just looked dead. None of this was exploit in any way.

No, there was a sight in the eyes of these humans. A sight that Wolf saw commonly when he finished off human prey.

Fear. Fear shown in the eyes of the humans. Not in a way that Wolf saw often. It wasn't like a look of fear in death. It was a look of fear in not being torn apart and ripped open, slap jawed and broken.

Wolf felt another wave of discomfort when he struggled backwards. But then he heard it. A terrifying roar echoed over the once quiet Refinery, and Wolf darted for cover when he heard heavy, massive footprints making its way down the tunnel.

No, he knew it was not the footprints of a Xenomorph. They ran with much more grace. This was something new because it was not, for sure, a human Marine that managed to live and could let off a roar like that.

Wolf had observed humans well, and he was smart enough to say for himself that humans could speak and let off efficient sounds with their mouths, but not roars or clicks, hisses and snarls. That really just seemed too unrealistic, even for the Yautja himself.

And then he _saw _it as he cloaked in the corner, huddled and closing his mouth for silent breaths to filter out.

It was at least eight feet tall, and it had three arms and looked like a human, but it had distinct features that could display cleearly that it wasn't. It had jet red hair, or what was left of it, and claws on the end of its hands.

And it seemed to be making a sound that Wolf compared to… human crying?

Wolf stepped out of the corner, cloaked so the beast that had revealed himself could still not see him, and then he lifted up his arm bracer and then uncloaked, so the creature that was there could now look upon him.

And whatever it was, it looked up.

**A FEW MINUTES EARLIER**

Desolation darted into the tunnel, and then he glanced behind him to see Suffer doing the same thing. Three other serpents were behind them, and Suffer gathered the rest of her skill and climbing talents and brushed past the Warrior Dome.

The Xenomorphs had split up into the groups just like they had said. Desolation had offered to be with Suffer, and as surprised as the smaller serpent was, she had agreed along with the three other warriors that was with them.

Suffer was now leading the way again, and Desolation didn't hesitate to listen to her orders. After all, it was the least he could do, letting the last serpents die last mission. But he could tell that their argument was done, and he was glad.

He really didn't like to argue all too well.

Not really something that peaked his interest.

He slipped into the corridors, when he heard a loud roar make the vents shake around, and this caused some squeals to occur among the Xenomorphs. Suffer glanced around as if trying to pick up a scent but catching none.

Desolation barreled forward and he lashed out at the vents with his claws before slipping out and then landing square on the ground with his delicate toes. He glanced back to see Suffer following him, her pace describing clearly her unease.

The other three warriors also had leaped out after them and they were not dashing their way across the Refinery, heading in the direction that was opposite to the way that the noise was made. Desolation then halted and he glanced around, trying to find some exit.

There! He dashed up and he clung onto the wall and he climbed into the next pairs of vents that he was sure not affected by the roar, and then as he slipped his tail in to follow him, he heard a pair of claws bash on the side of the vents, clearly Suffer, and then the rest of the Warriors.

Now, after crawling in a little deeper into a corner of the vents, the five serpents were panting and out of breath.

"What was that?" asked the female warrior, shaken up well and lashing her tail with unease.

"Who knows, but shut up, will you?" retorted another female who seemed pretty riled up herself. "We don't want it to hear us, because guess who would be left for bait? You would!"

"If you want to be quiet, I suggest you shut your inner jaws!" snarled Suffer, then silence fell upon the warriors.

Pausing, Desolation crawled by the rest of the Xenomorphs in his patrol and he glanced his head in several directions to pick up noise, in which he was getting none as well as Suffer's attempts. He then padded back to the rest of his patrol, who were huddled in the corner and waiting for something to happen.

And nothing did.

"This is great," whispered the first warrior who had spoken since they arrived. "We don't know what it is and we can't even find it. This is perfect."

"Shut up!" roared Desolation, and the female warrior bowed her head, not in respect, but annoyance, and then she shut her mouth.

Feeling pleased enough with that, he continued to let the silence live on in the serpents as they waited for something else to come by, or a signal that it was clear.

"I'll check it out," whispered Suffer as she turned around and started to make her way to the opening in the vents, but Desolation darted forward and then scratched to a stop.

"Wait, we don't know if it's safe yet!" he barked. "Stay here with us until we are sure whatever it was has moved on!"

Suffer, for once in her life that Desolation has seen, gave him a sympathetic look for several moments, but then the calm look dissolved from her face like sugar in water.

"I have to, Desolation," she growled. "Stay here and wait for me. If I don't come back in the next few hours, run."

And then she was gone.

Desolation flicked his tail. A few hours? What was she planning to do, scale the entire Refinery inside and out? But he walked back to the group and he paused and waited for her return.

More hunger seeped at his belly, but he remained still and decided it would be better if he were to curl up and go to sleep along with the rest of his kin. It would carry the few hours on evenly enough, he was sure.

* * *

Back at the Council of the Yautja, Guardian Predator looked among the rest of his kin, his mandibles stretched out and glaring at Dark and Claw as they hung in chains at the end of the hall.

"You claim that Wolf was not the one responsible for the death in Revenge, but Wolf had no evidence other than his own word to defend himself. Why is this?" asked Guardian, with a growl and a click of his mandibles.

"You know Wolf!" shouted Dark as he staggered to his legs in the dangling chain. "You earned his loyalty since the start of his training at a New Blood under our gods! But you sent him to rot among a worthless trail of shame!"

"He could not defend himself, Dark," added a new Yautja, one that went by the name of Coyote. "He had to face the path that was fair."

"That's just the issue, Coyote of the Council," said Claw as he twitched his mandibles. "None of the actions that Spartan gave towards Wolf was fair."

"Silence!" snarled the center Predator, raising his fist and slamming it into the counter to silence those around him. "Do not speak out of turn, Bad Bloods!"

That was when the youngest looking Yautja spoke. "You two have risen chaos among the Chapel. You frighten children and Young Bloods that the crime with be committed again. How can you be trusted?"

"It was an accident, Prophet," coolly replied Dark. "We were getting chased by a massive Xenomorph unlike any other. If you actually would watch what was on our bio-masks, you would see that Wolf wasn't even there!"

The center Yautja let out a massive snarl towards Dark, who slid backwards in alarm. "We have discussed this before. Until the Third Management our Laws Decree, there will not be any viewing of the bio-masks because they could be edited and self-did. And we will not allow lies to slip since we do not have the Third Management up and stable."

"And how long does that take, Infectious?" growled Claw.

"Years," responded the leader of the Yautja Council, with a click of his mandibles. Infectious looked back towards the rest of the Council, who seemed to be scowling themselves. "You have yet to prove your innocence, and even later to get your bio-masks viewed. Your evidence forfeits itself."

"We are honorable, Infectious of the Ancients," snapped Claw. "We do not lie like those in the past. Give us a chance, and you will see that you are wrong as you stand before me and Dark."

"No!" screamed the Ancient, swiping his long, red cape over his shoulder and glaring at the other two Yautja. "It had been done for the day. Go back to your cellars with an escort from Coyote and Guardian. We will see this conversation another day. Gods praise that you are not actually guilty and not lying to us."

Dark and Claw glared at the Ancient as he turned around and he walked back into a door that was directly behind his spot in the Council. Dark saw Guardian and Coyote leave their stands and join the two other hunters as they stood there, chained.

Coyote bent down and used the key to unlock the floor chains from the feet of the Yautja and then followed by the hand chains. Clipping their hands behind their backs, the four Yautja made a way for the door and they headed down the hall.

Dark snorted as he was shoved into his own cellar, but Claw was not the same. He slammed his right foot heavily on the ground, making Guardian leap backwards in surprise.

"What are you doing, Bad Blood?" he snapped.

"I will not go back in that cellar for an accident and know that Wolf is out there fighting for information that is too risky to find for something he didn't do!" Claw growled.

So distracted, Coyote had forgotten about locking up the chains to Dark's door, and the hunter crawled out of the cage and snatched the plasma castor right off Coyote's back, making the Yautja snarl in surprise and anger.

"Give that back, Blooded!" snarled the Elite warrior with a growl. "If you kill us here like you did to Revenge, you will be sorry!"

"I didn't kill Revenge," taunted Dark as he took several steps backwards to the approaching Predator who seemed to have steam practically rising off of his shoulders. "So I'm not going to kill you, either."

The elder hunter snarled and darted forward, but Claw was quick to react for his friend. Rushing by Guardian, Claw slammed Coyote and made the older Yautja fall to the ground, and then wriggled free from Guardian's oncoming grasp.

"Quickly, Dark, run!" Claw growled as he slipped free and pelted up the stairs, with Dark not far behind him. They were deep underneath the ground, but they knew their way around plenty. They were not going to get lost down here.

Making a break for the higher doors, the two escaping hunters tumbled their way across cell after cell, then finally burst into a full sprint, being followed by Coyote and Guardian, who were hollering for them to stop.

But these two Blooded Hunters had learned from the best.

Making a right turn down another chamber, the two friends gathered up their running speed and then they suddenly stopped. With as much power and speed that Coyote and Guardian earned, they felt the sense to stop as well, but reacted much worse.

Tumbling to the floor, the two of the Council let out clicks and growls of hate as the younger Yautja were dashing down the corridors and making a streak for the next door.

Then they burst into open air.

Dashing down the streets of the Yautja Capitol, many hunters, male and female alike, were strolling down the plentiful aisles. But this made Dark and Claw no slower and then they dipped into an alley, away from the rest of the society.

Making a pause behind one of the garbage shoots, Dark and Claw crouched over in robes that looked like convict clothing. Glancing back towards Dark, Claw narrowed his yellow, glistening eyes at his friend. "Are you alright?"

Dark turned and nodded at the other hunter. "Glad we escaped."

"What do you suggest we do now?" asked the slightly elder warrior with a dip of his dreads from his shoulder. "We will be hunted by Infectious all over the city until we are found."

This made Dark pause. "I say we go after Wolf. We need to tell him the plans of the Council and what they are going to make him do when he returns to the Capitol. But I have no clue on where he would be."

"We have trackers on our bio-masks to make sure that we stay alive so we can send our ships back to study their findings," remembered Claw. "If we find his tracker and we make for it, we might be able to stop him before it's too late."

"Alright then, but where will we find this thing?" asked Dark.

"It has to be somewhere in the hands of Infectious himself."


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter does have one flip to Dark and Claw, who we just met last chapter. But hang on with this story, some major events do happen this installment. Just listen to the story and enjoy!**

Wolf felt a shallow gulp emerge from him as he stumbled backwards in the alarm when the "thing" looked up to him. It had a vicious face, scars lining its lips and eyes and it was not pretty at all whatsoever.

It turned from absolute crying to more of a slick growl.

Wolf darted his eyes as he attempted to find an escape route from where he was. But as far as he was concerned, he was trapped, and he had no escape from this thing.

It took a step forward, and it raised its claw-like arm and slashed down at him, before Wolf rolled out of the way and landing numbly on his feet before turning to glance back at it. It stared at him, puzzled, before growling again.

Wolf took this as his chance to flee from it and learn from it. He was not afraid, he would lose all the honor he had been looking for because of that, but he was trying to study it. What attacks does it do? Is it smart? Was it more aggressive than Wolf has seen so far? All ready to go back to the Council.

The creature tumbled forward with as much aggression as Wolf has seen previously, and then it took a vital swing at his head, which he ducked down and watched it fly overhead.

Wolf took his chance to dart, as he heard the creature growl again from behind him, making Wolf run faster and faster through the halls of the Refinery and then leaping onto a duct on the top of the main chamber.

Struck dumb by mental issues, Wolf could tell clearly, it rumbled right by him and continued down the hall.

Wolf sighed, dropping onto his back as he felt a slice of pain erode through him like a virus. He glanced down with those malevolent eyes before he touched a soft pierce in his skin, making his body shake violently with his efforts.

It got him.

It hit him so fast and so hard, he didn't even feel the thing's claws tear his flesh and damage his veins. He grimaced in pain, before he opened up the first aid kit on his wrist bracer and he saw a few of his tools.

Looking through the assortments, he collected something in his yellow guided fingers and he placed a needle-like object in his palm. He took a deep breath, pulled his arm up, and he struck down onto the wound.

And it stung like nothing else.

And giving away a mortal yet helpless roar, he gave his position as well.

And then he heard the thing drawling back into this chamber, clicking around on those long talons of feet that it had, then glance upwards at him, making Wolf's heartbeat pound with anxiety.

Then, probably having poor eyesight in the lowly lit building, slipped away with a startled growl and continued looking for the cause of the noise.

Flickering his eyes down, Wolf saw it had walked by and was out of his line of sight. He took this as his chance and he gathered himself to his legs and leapt off the duct and onto the hard, metal floor.

Dashing down the hallway as silently as he could, he lifted his bracer up again and he cloaked himself, not risking himself like that, and then he darted, his eyes yet again glimpsing around for an exit that he could find.

And still, he found none.

But there had to be a way out. He took down another tunnel and he launched himself into another duct and he landed square onto the floor, then he flipped onto his side and he squished himself into the shallow duct.

What a tight fit. The yautja flinched when his near open skin touched the cool metal. He glanced around, before he knew he had no other way. Much like the species he hated, he started to crawl down the ducts and onto his sore knees.

He was starving. And that only affected his mobility even more. Wolf found a few blocks of strength left in him and he darted from cover to cover, making his way through the duct in a much more efficient manner than before.

How much the pain stabbed him like a thorn, he needed to get out of these chambers and he needed to make sure this was long behind him. Whatever _abomination _lived here was going to stay here, untouched and abandoned by Wolf's travels.

As Wolf jarred the next corner, he launched up in alarm as he saw Desolation and the rest of the serpents sitting in the end of the tunnel, curled up and sleeping.

How lovely. Wolf knew he could kill them now, but he would give away his spot and that would ruin his chance of survival in a greater way than before. And he was not willing to die on this scale.

Wolf, smarter than anyone else he knew, gripped the end of the tunnel and he forward himself on the corner, before he used his feet to tap the closest Xenomorph, and it sprung to life, and hissing as loud as it could, and soon waking up the others.

Desolation, the clear Warrior Dome against the heads of the other Warrior Ridged, looked up in alarm and lashed his tail from side to side, before screeching his large head off about who knows what.

Before the four aliens started to all stare at the near-stuck Predator who had, in a bad decision, suck himself in the vents.

And he was now corner and trapped, and the Aliens had the whole advantage against him.

Only his Plasma Castor could save him now.

He darted backwards and he stuffed his head just so the fussing aliens could not see him, then he aimed his Plasma Castor at them, and the serpents all stopped, gazing upon the Elite Predator, puzzled.

Then with a hiss, Desolation and the serpents darted to their legs, scrambling over the other, and made their way down the tunnel, seeing the threat.

And Wolf took this as his time to reach the end of the vents without the clueless animal knowing where neither species was.

It worked beautifully for both of them.

And Wolf was ready to stop acting like a serpent

He crawled on in the tunnel, and then he heard some Xenomorph screams in the end of the vent, and his heart sunk to his legs as he realized they were turning around.

Something wasn't right.

Wolf, feeling another wash of dread and worry creep over him like insects drawn to candy, Wolf attempted to back out of the tunnel to avoid the oncoming and closer serpent hisses.

But something was bashing on the other end of the vent further behind him. And it sounded a lot like the thing Wolf was trying to run from.

The Thing.

Wolf, in a situation similar to this, would use his handy-dandy tools like his Dissolving Acid to melt through the metal and break a way out of here, leaving both species to fight each other, not including the Predator.

But Wolf could not move the slightest bit in this tunnel, par say his forward and backwards movement he made when he wanted to move around, but other than that, one would call him screwed.

And he hated the feeling.

Wolf, taking a casual and slow breath, trying with all means to remain calm, glanced backwards at the tunnel where he heard the Abomination slipping through, and the Aliens who were approaching from the other side of the vent.

Wolf was going to need to perform a stunt that barely any of his kin had managed to do while still in one piece and living.

He was going to use his Plasma Castor to destroy the top of the vent, even though he risked getting killed, and he was going to crawl out from there.

It was risky, he knew it.

But at least he had the right to say he was going to be dead anyway if he didn't try.

So ripping back whatever muscles he had in his body and peering up at the ceiling with the Plasma Castor's red line of sight pointed right at it, Wolf felt the charging energy from it, before he saw the Aliens turn the corner, hissing and spitting.

Followed shortly by the Thing, as it wrapped its massive claws around the metal and shrieked, startling the serpents something harsh as they snarled in confusion.

And Wolf closed his eyes.

And he fired.

* * *

Dark and Claw were moving down the Council's building, their silent heartbeats pounding as they approached the main gates.

This plan was really bad, according to Claw. They could both be imprisoned and tortured, for this really was a crime. This was Bad Blood's honor.

But after all of this, the two Yautja had none left to save.

It was all lost after the Council had accused Wolf, and then _them. _This was their last chance to save their friend, and they were going to take it.

Because honor was the last thing they cared about right now.

Dark slipped between the guards in the front, clicking his mandibles together as he saw Claw file in not too far behind him and they continued down their path.

The guards seemed to be thicker rather than when the two hunters had first been brought forth to the Council. They noticed their escape. So they really did care.

But then again, Claw had no humor for riddles at the moment and the last thing he wanted was to crack a joke to send all of the Yautja Capitol rolling on the floor, dying.

Dark, leading them higher and higher up the building, turned back to look at his friend and he narrowed his eyes at the older hunter. "I don't trust this mission, Claw," he admitted dryly.

"And neither do I," retorted Claw, as he narrowed his own eyes at the younger Predator. "But we're doing this for Wolf. You know he would do the same thing for us."

"I know, I know," growled the hunter as he dug the rage in his eyes, feeding it like oxygen to a fire. "But the Council will pay for their mistakes. It's that blasted Infectious! He has been up to something. He's been… different."

"Has he know?" snarled Claw as his fingers twitched with hatred. "Do explain."

"He used to be that responsible leader that everyone made him out for. The Ancient that everyone wanted. But for the past few months, he's been darker than we really have made out for him."

"Are you sure, brother? Are you sure this is no mistake or personal life?" questioned Claw.

"It would not last this long, Claw. You know about our code's honor, Infectious' above all. He would not surrender to something like this too easily," responded Dark, flipping his dreads over his shoulders carelessly.

"Not all things leave us with honor, friend," snapped the elder Predator with a snort. "But you may be correct."

"Do not question the information that you gain that whom the God's just give you. Be sure to back yourself up with friends, Claw, or you may be the only one to fall off the cliff," and then the younger Hunter slipped into a nearby window, beckoning for the elder to follow.

Snarling, the elder hunter dipped into the window, and he felt air gush at him as he tumbled onto the ground, hitting it with a smack.

Hearing a growl of pain below him, Claw looked down.

He landed on Dark.

Squishing himself off, Claw stood to his legs and he brushed himself off with a hand, before focusing down the large hallway that they had entered.

Dark also pushed himself to his legs, before he took a forward stare at his "brother." He took another glance down the long aisles, before he suffered a heavy sigh.

"Where to now, friend?" asked the younger hunter with a look of confusion spreading across his face shallowly. "You remember the way to the Council's chambers better than I."

"Indeed," replied Claw as he took several steps forward as if remember where he was. "This way leads to the discussion table they go to after each one of their trials," explained the warrior. "If we follow this down to the dorm, we will be able to calculate where their rooms are from the chambers."

"Lead the way then," snapped Dark as he followed in besides his friend.

Nodding his head, Claw gained the lead with a slight trot down the hallways and he slipped his body through the compact halls with a snort, feeling a spreading grow of discomfort smack him across the face as he paused.

More guards.

Standing near the entrance of another room, three Guards were holding their Plasma Cannons in hand, aiming the better, enhanced versions of the Plasma Castors down each one of the hallways.

They would have been spotted if Claw hadn't stopped and pushed the unsuspecting Dark out of the way.

"Argh!" snarled the younger hunter with a growl rising in his throat. "Are you stupid? What in the name of the Gods are you doing?"

"Guards!" hissed the elder Predator with a look of anger spreading across his face like a flush. "And if you don't shut your mouth, they'll see us!"

Pausing and taking a glance down the tunnel as if to make sure he had the living proof, Dark clamped his mandibles shut when he saw the Guards standing, lined up and their backs against the wall, protecting the door to the next room.

"Ancestors code, guard me from cursing now," he snapped as he slid back onto the wall. "What do you think we should do now? They surely won't just stand up and let us politely ask to enter the following chamber?"

"I feel no honor at all doing this," Claw growled softly. "But I am afraid that we have to do what we must. For Wolf."

"What?" Dark turned to face his friend, spreading his bottom mandibles open to show his startled aggression. "Kill soldiers who are doing what they're told? Have you lost the only heart you have left?"

"I never said I felt good about it, did I?" snapped the elder hunter. "But would Wolf do it?"

A silence made a feeling of cold and dread creep up Claw Predator's spine as he pressed it against the wall.

Defeated, the younger Predator lowered his head and gaze, closing out all of the aggression that was there previously. "Yes, brother," he grumbled. "Wolf would do anything for us."

"So we must return the favor. For Wolf. Right?"

"Of course."

"But in order to honor your name, I will not make you kill any of them. You just need to accept the fact that I'm doing it. Understood?"

"Understood."

"And I will do it for you. Understood?"

"No."

And- what?"

"You will not do it for me," his voice quivered like touching a hot pan. "I will do it… For Wolf."

Claw paused, twitching his eyes slightly as if confused and puzzled for several moments time, but then he nodded his head, his dreads falling in front of his shoulders once more.

"Let's get this over with," growled the smaller hunter, with a twitch of his massive mandibles. "Before I change my mind!"

Quickly turning away from his brother and then back towards the Guard, Claw nodded his head the Plasma Castor that was stored on Dark's back, not being used at this time.

"Are you ready?" he asked, worry in his tone, most likely anxious for his friend.

"Yes," snarled the annoyed and worried-himself Dark. "Quickly."

"Take position on the other side of the hallway and get your Plasma Castor ready. Their Plasma Cannons do better than our Castors alone, but if we tang them by surprise, we might be able to hit them before they have a chance to react."

"How will we do that?" challenged the Hunter.

"Distract them, of course. Do you not remember your training?" asked the larger Predator.

Flushing, the smaller Predator nodded his head. "I wasn't using my head, sorry," he grunted, as he tried to rub off the growing heat on his face.

Not showing any sign to have noticing it or ignoring it, Claw then pressed his back against the stone and then he nodded his head at the other wall, and Dark slipped across to the other side when he knew the Guards were not looking.

"Throw a stone or tool, your pick," growled Claw.

Snorting a grumbling something underneath his breath that you cannot tell or read from his facial expression, Dark opened his wrist bracer and he pulled out a tool, something similar to the needle Wolf had previously used, and then he tossed it, blindly.

It rolled out right in front of the Guards, and they watched it roll in front of them, and they backed up in confusion. One of the Guards narrowed his eyes, and the two others just blinked.

A gruff looking Guard pointed at one of the smaller Guards and then he let out a choking laugh. "Go find out what it is, Raptor," he snorted.

Raptor grunted, before he approached the tool and he knelt over to pick it up, before he paused and glanced back at the other two Guards and he growled. "Is this a joke or prank, because it isn't funny. Hound, Jackal?"

Jackal, the gruff looking Predator, grit his mandibles together in a snort and then he pointed his Plasma Cannon at the smaller Hunter. "If it was, I'd already be laughing," Jackal snarled. "Go pick it up!"

"What about Hound?" questioned Raptor.

"It ain't a joke that I'm twistin', buddy. Just go on o'er and pick 'er up," responded Hound, flicking his dreads with annoyance, clearly mocking human speech. "Just do it, for the sake of the Gods!"

Growling, Raptor knelt over and as he was distracted, Dark and Claw turned over and blasted the two Guards that were standing behind Raptor, Hound and Jackal, and their remains toppled all over the room.

Spieling around in surprise, Raptor stumbled as he saw the gore and blood. "What the- huh?"

He turned around, only to be met with a blast from Dark's Plasma Castor and joining his companion's dead remains all over the floor.

Dark and Claw lowered their Plasma Castors, before glancing at each other.

"Was it that hard?" asked Claw to Dark, as he flicked his finger towards the dead remains that lay splattered against the walls.

"To someone who respects all those under our God's children, it is much harder than it looks, friend," he replied, his voice not near as shaky as it had been before, but replaced with confidence. "Let's move," growled Dark.

"For Wolf," they replied at the same time, before the tread off into the darkness of the next room.

* * *

The blast was so hard against his face, Wolf felt like he really did die.

He suddenly felt really bad for all of the Xenomorphs and humans he had blasted with his Plasma Castor. He really, really did.

But the moment was not there long when Wolf shot out of the tunnel, and then darted across the duct and onto the ground again, racing across the floor and then tumbling down into the hard metal of the Refinery.

He heard the savage growls of the serpents and the Thing behind him, so he was determined to stay on his weak legs until he met with some cover. At least that would allow him to rest until he had the rest of his energy to continue moving.

Wolf couldn't help but produce a sound that was similar to laughter when he heard the squeals of the Xenomorphs as the Thing started to go after them. Wolf smirked, his mandibles curling back in a sort of grin.

_Caught in their own trap. Not uncommon for the serpents, _thought Wolf as he bounded through the tunnel and landed firmly on his legs. But then the screeches died down.

And Wolf felt himself lock cold as he glanced backwards.

And out of the darkness, the Thing was chasing after him, waving its arms around like an enraged beast. And it was massively gaining on the slightly smaller species.

The yautja let out a startled yelp and then he pelted down the hallways and reeled into a corner, panting heavily and glancing at the entrance, his mandibles sucked down with his effort for breathing.

And the Thing turned the corner and roared, slowly but surely approaching him, before picking up into the previous run that it had earlier.

Then a growl came from behind the Predator. "By the Gods, get in here, quickly!" shouted the voice from over the Abomination's roars.

Wolf did not take the time to look at whatever had caused the voice or what had offered him into shelter, but he took the chance willingly. Leaping to where the voice had come from, Wolf felt himself tumble down into a hole, falling some ways then slamming against the metal.

He then heard the angry roars of the Abomination from above, its confused snarls and hisses only making it seem much more terrifying that Wolf actually pictured it.

Then he remembered: He was in here with someone else.

He leapt to his feet, spinning around to face something that was sitting in the darkness, glaring at him. Wolf narrowed his eyes before he aimed his Plasma Castor at the spot and he let out a growl.

"Who are you?" he growled, his voice thick and scarred like his body, dark, rigid, and cruel like the sting of his Xenomorph Tail Whip that dangled at his side loosely.

"Huh," replied the voice, higher than anything Wolf had heard in a long time. "Already attacking the Yautja that just saved you? Not new, Wolf, not new."

Wolf narrowed his remaining eye at the Yautja that sat in the corner, now suspicious. It was a Yautja, but that didn't cover up for knowing his name, which was weird enough as it was. Wolf felt like he had a right to be wary.

"How do you know my name?" he snapped.

"You're not a nobody, Warrior of the Hunt," growled the Yautja who was preening its feet with a claw. "With a mask like that, anyone would be able to tell that you were the Legendary Elite Hunter of the Elite Clan. And you don't seem to be handling yourself against the Subject to well."

"I can say I am confused," he snarled. "Show yourself!"

With a twitch of the mandibles, the Yautja stood to its legs, before curling its lips back into a snarl. "Happy now?"

Standing before Wolf was a female Predator, armor dangling from its chest and shoulders, its own mask planted onto its face, long dreads creeping off from her head and falling onto her shoulders like a cascading river.

"What?" grunted Wolf, startled. "You're a woman?"

"I've been my entire life, thanks," she growled, as he ran a long, delirious finger across her dreads and pushed them behind her shoulders. "Why question it now?"

"Women cannot Hunt," snapped the elder warrior with a twitch of his remaining three mandibles and a snort escaping from his mouth. "Why are you bearing yourself with a mask and armor like you are a Hunter?"

"Stolen, Mole-Rat," snorted the female Yautja. She glanced Wolf up and down. "Didn't know you were talking with a Bad-Blood yet? Well, sort-of Bad Blood, I could say."

"Bad Blood?" questioned Wolf, a dumbstruck look spreading across his face. "Since when did women not follow the rules?"

"I'm not entirely Bad Blood, I just consider myself like one," explained the female, worriedly. She flicked her mandibles again, twitching them with a slight snort. "I just didn't happen to listen when I needed to come back to my Clan."

Wolf blinked several times before he narrowed his eyes. "I see," he growled.

"And not to mention while you question why I'm here, I didn't wake up this morning and wonder when Wolf Predator was going to drop by my doorstep," she retorted. "Why are you here, Hunter?"

"I've been accused, Woman," he snorted. "For something I didn't do."

"Looks like the almighty is a Bad Blood himself, praise the Gods!" she gasped sarcastically. This only made Wolf's mandibles twitch with annoyance. "But why are you here if you didn't do it?"

"Because of that blasted Ancient, Infectious," growled Wolf, shaking his dreads. "My friends, Dark and Claw, were on a mission and a Yautja of our clan was killed while fleeing from something."

"And you caused it?" challenged the female.

"No!" he snarled. "I wasn't even there!"

"So how did you get blamed then? Surely the Council isn't that idiotic and confused you with one of Dark and Claw?" she asked.

"No," he responded. "They thought I started a terrorist scheme and went after them, the reason why all of them fled. But that's ridiculous! They have been my friends since we were Young Bloods!"

"Looks like you have yourself caught in a mess," snorted the female Predator. "One I might be able to help you with."

"Don't tell me," Wolf grunted. "You're going to bribe the Council with some kind of charm."

"Gods, no!" shouted the female with a rustle of a fit. "I wouldn't dream!"

"But now that we have met," grinned Wolf, "what's your name?"

"Not going to say," grunted the female Yautja after a moment's pause. "I don't trust that you'll hand me over, but nor do I trust you."

Grunting, Wolf shifted. "Fair enough."

"But I will help you. You may not know about the Subject, but I do. This is where is ran off to. I was hiding here in this crevasse in the wall when it got here. All I could hear for days was the screams of those disgusting Marines," she explained. "And I was glad I hid from it. I expected it to leave, but I was frustrated when it didn't."

Wolf blinked, looking even more confused. "How did you go out for supplies?"

"It actually sleeps, you know," she shot back, lashing her dread back over her shoulders, and she flicked her foot before sighing and then plopping down. "But when it did sleep, it was rare, but it lasted a while. I could gather a plenty bit of food before it came awake again."

"So I guess it's not that smart, huh?" asked Wolf.

"No, it's not."

"But back on topic, how can you help me? I need to get out of here but whatever I do it catches me," questioned Wolf as he lofted onto his side, getting ready to listen.

"Wait for it to fall asleep," she replied, fixing her helmet with a snort. "And that could take a while, who knows?"

"So what will I have to do as I wait for Ugly to fall asleep?" he growled.

"Sit here with a woman, Hunter, I know, it's a hard job," she retorted, dryly.

He was surprised with her sense of humor. Not much Yautja shared jokes along each other rather than the Young Bloods or the Younglings. Yautja her age could be well past Blooded in a Male's rank.

"How funny," he scoffed, as he sat down and he twisted his head to look at her.

"I know, but just sleep yourself," she responded, shrugging as more of her long, silky appendages slipped from her shoulder and then she grunted with another twitch of her mandibles. "Don't do it yet though. I don't have much company, sitting in a hole."

Wolf snorted. "What makes you think I'm much for a chatter?"

"The way you have endlessly replied to what I have been saying," she snapped, before she sighed. "So, tell me more about how the crime got settled with you and your friends."

"Not much to say," Wolf grunted as he shrugged. "One day in the middle of their hunt, something erupted from the bushes and chased them down. It sent them fleeing, but it caught up with the murdered Yautja, Revenge, and it nearly got him."

"Nice," responded the female Yautja, twirling a dread in her finger.

"And when Dark tried to save Revenge, he accidently killed Revenge, but the Council said that it was me who was hunting them. After I got sent here, Dark and Claw started getting blamed for the crime and said that it was setup against Revenge."

"But you didn't actually do it?' asked the female as she looked up.

Growling, Wolf shook his head. "No."

"Well, the Council should learn to look at bio-masks instead of their dumb little Third whatever," she grunted. "I wonder who came up with laws as retarded as that."

Grimacing with her harsh words, Wolf snorted and he shrugged himself. "Who knows?"

"But as I was saying, the Council seems to always get into a little fit with all of the Yautja in the Capitol, I swear," she growled as she dropped her twirled dread and she looked back down.

"But this would be actually finished if they would look at the masks," he snarled. "I don't think Infectious wants go get proven wrong against the entire Council who is skeptical about his actions and decisions as a whole Capitol."

"Since when haven't they been a bunch of idiots? Their decisions should only be recommended, not the actually choice of it. We should have a court!"

"Yeah, you're a little out there, aren't you? You sound like a dreamer, thinks a lot about things."

"I have always really been a thinker, yeah," she grunted. "But I don't like being different."

"Fine with me," he growled.

"Just go to sleep now."


	4. Chapter 4

_Wolf staggered across the clearly, hearing a hiss from above his head and a waggle of his tail that slid across his shoulder._

_Glancing to the side, Wolf blinked and stumbled backwards in alarm, to see a serpent hanging from the ceiling, shooting its inner jaw out several times before making a sound that was similar to a mocking human laugh._

_Turning, Wolf saw a Warrior Dome approach him, one that went by the name of Desolation. But for some reason, in the depths of his dreams, the little Xenomorph could speak to him, fluent in Yautja tongue. _

"_So alone, Wolf Hunter," hissed Desolation as he stalked forward with a growl. "Not a friend to look after you or make sure you are okay, not now."_

"_What do you want, serpent?" asked Wolf, and the alien seemed to know what he said as well._

"_Your death, Hunter," he responded, coldly._

"_Why mine and no other?" Wolf questioned._

"_Because you threaten me and my dearest Suffer. To take you out would nearly end the only hope in the Hunters winning our war," snarled Desolation, blandly. He paced around the Hunter, his tail lashing with the eagerness to kill._

"_I don't understand. Infectious poses a bigger threat than I do."_

"_Or does he, Hunter?" growled Desolation._

"_He does," Wolf retorted, before shifting side to side. "What makes you think that he doesn't?"_

_Desolation seemed to make a grin with his mouth, before letting off a squeal. "There is so much you don't know, isn't there?"_

"_You seem to know more than I do, yes," growled Wolf. _

"_Perhaps I should not tell you," teased Desolation. "What would be the point in me telling you something that could help you in your plans?"_

"_Because if there is something going on in the Yautja Capitol that does not involve the Xenomorphs, I need to know about it."_

_Desolation hissed, lashing his long tail back and forth several times before landing in front of the Predator. "But I don't want your situation to get better, Wolf Predator. I want it to get worse so I can gain an advantage over you."_

"_I will not spill the beans, serpent, just tell me!" roared the agitated Hunter with a snort. "This does not concern you, nor will it ever. I will leave you to your peace if you would just share what you knew!"_

_Desolation lashed his tail several times before blinking in confusion. "Dare to pester me with information you don't know about?" asked the Alien with a slash of his claws at the Hunter. _

"_I'm sorry," growled Wolf._

"_Oh, don't be!" lashed the serpent. "You say those words so I would be more inclined to tell you. But no matter if you kept on going or kept on apologizing, my answer will not change, Hunter."_

"_How come you can't just tell me?"_

"_Because I don't want to, Predator," taunted the Xenomorph before leaping back up on the ceiling and then glancing back at the Yautja. "What the advantages I would have over your pathetic little empire! I will rise above the Hunters to muster their ranks."_

"_I doubt one little serpent will manage to do that," retorted Wolf, dryly. _

"_Not by my own hands, no," hissed Desolation. "I will prove to my most humble Praetorian Suffer that I am smart enough to serve as a legion with her. And telling you would spoil that chance!" _

"_Are you sure that you cannot just tell me?" asked Wolf in an irritated manner. "It would not only save us time, but it will also save you from me bugging you about this."_

"_I think I will make this save for another day, Hunter!" teased the serpent as he waggled his tail in front of the Predator's face. "I might as well just get you warmed up for the rest of this chat saying nothing else to each other!"_

"_Tell me, serpent!" hissed Wolf._

"_Good-bye, Elite of the Elite Clan," snarled Desolation, and then some alien screeches were heard not too far away from him as he backed up and away from the Predator. _

_Wolf, blind by the want of knowledge, attempted to catch up with the now running serpent, but it felt like he was just getting further and further away. Finally, Wolf gave up when he saw the rest of the aliens slip down from where they sat and disappear out of eye view._

_As Wolf sat, blandly, he awoke._

* * *

"Get up," said the female Yautja as she plopped a bucket of water at the male Hunter's feet. "The beast is going to sleep soon."

Startled, Wolf glanced up and he blinked his eyes open, and then he tossed his head to the side in alarm, not really remembering where he was for a few brief moments, expecting to be on the floor in the canyon or in his bed, dreaming peacefully.

But then it all came back to him.

He had been chased by the Thing in the dark halls of the Refinery and he had ran into the "Dreamer Female Yautja" who claimed to have Bad Blood and running from something that involved returning to her Clan.

Wolf then glanced down at the bucket, and narrowed his eyes at the woman that stood before him, her hip slightly bent and her mandibles twitching with annoyance. "Well?" she asked, tilting her head as her dreads flickered slightly as she tossed it. "Are you going to just sit there and stare or get your lazy butt moving?"

Wolf growled something underneath his breath, but he didn't say anything as he unleashed his narrowed eyes and then glanced around the room he had fallen asleep in. He then remembered what she had said.

"How do you know that it's going to sleep soon?" he asked, tilting his own head as he spoke.

"Because while you slept like a flea, I went out a checked. He moved back to his 'den' or whatever you want to call it, doesn't matter to me. We can move. I have plenty of food to start off our trip, and I don't want to waste any time. Fuel up and get your armor on, we're rolling out soon," she growled.

Wolf lazily lofted to his feet, and then scooped up the bucket of water and dipped his head back and absorbed what she had offered him. Then, placing the bucket down nice and neatly, he nudged it aside with his foot before standing up and on the scan for food.

She seemed to tell his plan. "There's food over there," she replied, tossing her head in that direction but never turning to look at him.

Grunting but saying nothing, Wolf turned and he padded over to a corner in the small hole that the female Yautja had taken cover in. Glancing down, he could see some basic prey and human limbs lying there.

Snorting with amusement, he collected his own fill before stuffing it into one of his compartments that he had on his hip, and then he stashed some more water into a damp cocoon-like structure for replace a water canister.

The female Yautja was getting her own armor own as the male Hunter tool his fill before they moved out. Standing to her legs to finish getting on the rest of her armor, the female Predator gallantly collected her helmet and placed it on her head, before turning back at the armorless Wolf who was still making his time with food and drinks.

"Hurry up," groaned the female Yautja with a sigh. "I'll take care of the supplies, you just get your armor on."

Wolf rolled his remaining eye before he turned away from the supplies and then paced back over to his armor, grabbing that and taking the time to arm himself. The female Yautja was stuffing her own bags and buckets with food and water.

Wolf, now putting on his bio-mask and testing his Plasma Castor, looked back to the female who was now finishing up with what she was doing.

"I think we should go check to see how it's doing before we make any real escape chances," whispered the female as she approached. "Just to be safe."

Wolf made no motion that showed he didn't want to oblige. "Lead the way then, Woman," he snorted.

Making her own grunt, whether or not be from his comment, no one could have been sure, the female Yautja left all of her stuff there before she used a home-made latter to crawl up the hole that she had lived in for the past month or two.

Wolf followed not too long after her, and then quietly lifted himself onto the ground as they clanged against the hard metal. Wolf did what he could to catch up with the female.

"Do you know where it is?" he asked, suddenly.

"I know where it's made its den, yes," replied the female, gruffly. "And that is where we are going to look, due to the fact you let serpents invade my home."

Wolf couldn't help but scoff, and then they were followed by dead silence. Not that Wolf wanted to make sound anyway, he sure as heck did not want to attract the Thing to their location and get chased or killed, and not to mention prove as a worthless companion in her attempt to help him.

Wolf narrowed his eyes in the dark chambers, even though he was still using thermal energy to see where he was going. He was not a creature for the dark. In fact, Yautja was a species that much preferred the light. Their home planet nearly never turned night at all.

The two Predators slipped through the hallways before the female stopped with a raise of her arm, and Wolf stopped dead next to her. Creeping low and silently, the female Predator approached a small, torn-up nest looking object with a rag underneath it.

She closed her eyes for several pauses, then she grabbed the curtain and she pulled it open slowly.

Sleeping inside of the nest was the Abomination, curled up and getting rest, having no clue as to which the two Yautja were standing just next to it.

"We're good," growled the female as she padded back to Wolf. "He'll be dead for a while, so we have the perfect chance to escape without Bucky here knowing about it."

Wolf took a sideways glance at the sleeping creature that was rolled into a perfect ball, then lashed his arm several times against the metal that surrounded him. Wolf Predator snorted before he nodded his head.

"Let's move," he growled, and then the two Yautja turned and they fled from the Refinery, heading for the entrance.

"At least this gives us a chance to move on," explained the female Yautja as she clambered up and over one of the tall pillars that crossed the entrance of the lab. "I mean, we got pretty lucky that he fell asleep, huh?"

Wolf could only grunt. "I suppose, Woman," he growled softly, before he looked around as if to make sure that… thing wasn't following him and the female that he just met. He didn't want to catch that thing's eyes tailing him.

Wolf and the female Yautja soon enough approached the entrance of the Refinery and then they clopped outside, feeling the fresh morning air strike down on their backs as they stride casually outside.

"So where are we headed, Hunter?" asked the female Yautja with a tilt of her head, yet again making one of her dreads fall beside her neck.

"To the waterfalls of Nin-Anya. Why?"

"I hate to sound like a kid, but I have no idea where that is," she responded, dryly.

Wolf grunted and made a motion on his face that referenced to a human smile. "Not a geographic type, I am afraid?"

The only response that he got was a shake of the head and the two continued walking.

"Well, I should teach you more of it, my sister," growled the Elite Predator. "Not knowing much about our ancestors' lands could have a negative impact on your life, especially if humans are in the area."

"Humans aren't really that tough," snorted the female.

"Humans are a young species, hubris and virtuous. They are intelligent and learning, vast on their range of knowledge. But this does not make them less susceptible prey. Nor does this mean they are helpless. They are defined as group efficiency, working together for their own achievements. Separate them, and they are pathetic. Catch them together, and they are mighty," Wolf explained, deep with his understanding of human ethics.

But the female Yautja didn't seem to be listening, but Wolf didn't seem to notice. He was too "in-there" with what he knew about the humans and what Spartan taught him as a young-blood. Something that always intrigued Wolf was humans and their youngness, a species just hatched from an egg.

But Wolf was far more intrigued in killing them all.

It wasn't long when Wolf brought back up geography. "And how do you not know of the Waterfalls? A massive piece of our history, the falls is where the first of our Gods settled on the earth. The place humans now call Mesopotamia, our ancestors made huge statues there to show their development with the young species. We also helped them in Egypt and taught them to respect us and to make temples to respect their leaders with."

"Oh, really? I really never was too interested in the settlement of our gods due to the fact that I am a younger Yautja and not near as experienced as you are. You have more of an interest in that than I do. As a female, I really am supposed to learn to tend to children and to find an appropriate mate that I can live with for a while. But I've always wanted to Hunt," responded the female with a shrug.

Wolf paused and he glanced at her. "Honor in the Hunt? You really must be a dreamer, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, meekly. "But I've wanted to be with the rest of my kin, showing off _my _pride and _my _honor. Why was it a task made for only men?"

"Because men are made for muscle, according to our Codex built by the Ancient who was named Yautjatuk. It's where we get our name, the Yautja. He was the first of our leaders and we used to respect him greatly, but we switched over to names like Wolf, Dark, Claw, Spartan, names like that."

"Why?"

"Because we lost the honor of Yautjatuk. That's why," he growled. He continued over the light steps of the rubble. The female only shrugged her shoulders and followed after the much larger Predator. It would only be a few more hours before they hit the falls with a straight walk.

"Still a stupid reason. If you lost his honor, than why do you respect his customs? Surely you would want anything he made eradicated before his honor could be respected again?" she asked.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" he asked. She growled from behind him, a low and dangerous snarl. Most men were smart enough to _never _anger a female Predator. They were vicious and could be much like a bezerker if they were to be angered.

Wolf automatically hushed himself. "Well," he decided to answer her question. "When he made his code, he was respected then and he went forward to honor our gods. They said he was promised his rules would lay forever in the trail of others. And therefor, his code was encrypted into our history, and cannot change."

"How ridiculous," breathed the female.

Wolf could only shrug. "Just how things work."

"I see."

An hour passed of pure silence. It would be another hour or two before they reached the waterfall, but at least it meant they didn't have much longer.

* * *

Claw and Dark skirted the corner, feeling the heat of the guards on their trail.

Had Dark not moved behind the wall without looking, they wouldn't be trying to hide again. This was all so foolish. Breaking into Infectious' home to steal trackers. Breaking onto the Council in general. But they were doing it for Wolf, for he would have done the same.

They were pure Bad Bloods now, but they were already. They knew their crime was accidental, but to the Yautja, a crime was a crime. There was no changing that. Even if it meant losing all of their honor in the process, as long as Wolf's back. He wasn't even at the place where Revenge was killed!

The guards, rage written across their faces, were hot on their heels. Just a few more corner turns and they would arrive to their targets before long. That wasn't going to be happening, Claw and Dark knew. But at least they neared the office of Infectious.

The traitorous bastard.

"They're getting away!" shouted the guard, hotly. "Quickly, we must not lose them!"

_Good luck keeping up with us, _Claw thought as he leapt. Dark, the younger hunter, was not far behind him, but behind nonetheless. At least this meant they had a guaranteed escape from the guards before they managed to hit Infectious' office.

Claw knew the trails of the Council well enough. The trackers were held in a containment cell inside of the office for safekeeping. If they could crack the code, which had to be written down somewhere inside of the office, they would be able to find Wolf, and make it to him in time.

They just needed to escape the guards first.

Which had been their plan the entire time. To get the guards way from their posts. The only thing they had risked about the whole thing was the guards on full alert. But they would not be so long that they reached Infectious' office. They just needed to get them away from that area while getting closer at the same time.

Obviously, if this had been their plan so soon, they would have pulled it off a lot earlier. But their plan could be re-adjusted. It just took a little bit of timing and skill, and maybe they could pull this off. It would only be a little longer before the guards were inside the meeting chamber.

And that was when they had the chance to run away and enter Infectious' office.

It would only be so long before they actually made it.

Claw and Dark made another sharp turn, while the guards were honking orders behind them. Claw gave a frustrated growl. How long would the guards keep their chase up? Surely Infectious' guards were not the _best_ in the whole world?

Well, maybe…

If Infectious was an Ancient, the literal highest rank in Yautja society, then… Perhaps these guards were better than Claw had thought. He was just a simple Blooded. He was no Elite warrior like Wolf or what Spartan used to be.

Claw turned to look at Dark. "They're falling behind. Quickly, follow the plan!"

Dark nodded. He turned into a full sprint, not quiet catching up with Claw, but just nearly close enough. He made himself the hunter of speed, making survival above all goals, and he stopped, and turned around.

Claw watched as his friend started to race back to the guards, who were running with their wrist blades out and extended. Some had been shooting Plasma Castors, but those warriors had run out of energy available to use after their long sprint.

The guards saw Dark stop in front of them. "Hold your hands in the air, traitor!" one, the closest thing to a muscle Predator Claw might have ever seen, shouted. "Tell your friend to come over here as well. This will make it much easier."

There were many guards, more than Claw wanted to be here at the time. Obviously, the plan was to get the guards calm again and then make it or break it. It was do or die. If Infectious knew that they were sneaking around in the Council after breaking free from custody, even worse snooping in and stealing from him, he would order him and Dark to be killed, maybe even Wolf.

That certainly wasn't going to happen. Not while Claw was still breathing.

As Dark walked over and raised both of his arms into the air, solemnly, Claw started to make his way back. Hopefully, they weren't going to be caught. If they pulled this off just right, they would be able to escape.

But these were the Elite warriors, trained purely from the temples and raised with a heartless backstory. Were two of the most skilled_ Blooded_ hunters ready to fight a battle most of the other hunters could not accomplish? If they were or were not, they would have to be. If they weren't, they would be sent straight to oblivion.

With a mandible twitching, idly, Claw walked forward, but then as he neared the closest guard and raised his arms, he took the time to unsheathe both of his wrist blades, sliced the leg of the nearest two hunters, he and Dark made a final sprint.

Since two of them were injured and no longer had running capabilities, this made the battle much simpler. More like the sprint, since Dark and Claw had no intentions of killing one of the hunters unless he got straight into the way and needed to be moved.

The guards jumped to their legs in surprise, and waited for several moments in shock as their friends, other guards, the two that Claw had sliced with his right wrist blade, were crying out in the most superior of horrors.

One, the first one that had confronted Dark when he approached, let out a horrid click and growl of surprise. "They're getting away! After them!"

With a jolt of realization, the hunters started to race off after them. They were a while back, far enough for Dark and Claw to stop at the end of the hallway.

Dark turned and looked at Claw. "You say there is a door here?" he asked.

"Yes," Claw said, simply. "There are two pressure plates that stand here…" he marked one with a claw point that was on the other wall, closest to Dark, "and here." He pointed to one that was closest to him, about a few feet.

"Are we going to close them in?" asked Dark.

"Yes."

"Indeed," Dark blinked. "A good plan, I'll say."

"I spent good time thinking about it," Claw responded, dryly. "And there are no alarm bells in that area. The only thing they can rely on is if another guard is to wander by as they look for a way out."

"Splendid."

"Yes."

It wasn't long before the next set of guards came stomping in, the same as before, but the countless attempt. Dark turned to look at Claw, who was a hand on the pressure plate, ready to close it, but waiting.

"Now?" asked Dark. And when Claw made no intention of answering or if he had even heard it, "Claw?"

"Now!" he snapped and slammed one of his muscular fists into the button. Dark repeated the same action, and he watched the guards realize with stunned horror that they started to close the door on them. All of the guards ran faster, their minds harder set on the hunters than before.

But it was all too late.

The door closed right next to the closest one, almost smooshing his foot underneath the hard metal that started to set up and lock as Dark and Claw had clicked the buttons. It appeared far too late for them.

"Good," said Dark. "Now, where to Infectious' office?"

"It should be done these two corridors to the left after a while. The place will have stationary guards to ensure that no one gets inside, but they can be alerted easy enough. There may be about five or six of them in there at least. Some maybe hiding."

"How will we draw them out? Maybe set out a drone to do the trick?" asked Dark.

"No, they are not fools," Claw hissed softly. "We will need to engage them… quietly, because if Infectious is in his office, we will have no chance of escaping him. He may be an Ancient, but he is not a very old one. He can still enter combat."

"Well, let's go then." Dark turned back to the door that they just closed. "We'll have to move quickly. They may have a way to reach reinforcements back there in a way we don't recognize."

"You may be right." Claw started to run, despite the fact of even mentioning that he was going to start off. "We need to move, and fast."

Dark raced off after him, and they started towards the corridors, and it wasn't long before they reached the end of Infectious' office.

"Ready?" asked Claw.

"Of course." Dark readied his wrist blades.

"Then let's enter."

Dark and Claw stepped in, low and quietly. This was going to be fast. At least that's what both of the hunters wanted as they slipped inside of the corridor and they made their way across it for several seconds before halting before a large door.

Claw peeked his head inside after clicking the large door with his fingers. Inside, there was a large door at the back of the room. In the middle of the tall and wide circular-based room, there was a large statue of Infectious with his helmet tucked underneath his shoulder and arm wrapped around it, and a Xenomorph's head on a Combi-Stick in the other hand. He had a huge cloak wrapped around his face, just to his mandibles and under, and shoulders that resembled blowing in the breeze.

"How dramatic," breathed Dark.

"I know." Claw also readied his blades. "They made that for him two years ago at the Hall of the Most Skilled Warriors."

Dark pressed himself into the wall next to them. "I'm a little scared for our fate. Killing another Yautja is the worst crime a Yautja can commit. How can we survive as Bad Bloods?"

"We will find a way. I don't care how many Path of Shame I must walk to prove that all of this was for the better, not for sport," Claw hissed. "But I bet that Infectious would find a way for all of us to be killed in the most brutal way possible."

"I bet." Dark finally let out a slow breath.

"But we need to move. We cannot waste a second of time."

"Alright," Dark finally nodded.

Dark and Claw couldn't help but beam with pride. "Just like old times, Dark?"

"Just like," Dark grinned.

And with those final nods, both the Hunters opened the door to the open room and raced forward to kill the guards at the back door.

* * *

"No!" Infectious snapped harshly. "He cannot be! The crimes will be erased if he is to ever find out!"

Spartan sat huskily in the back of the room, his helmet on the table in front of him. As usual, talking to Infectious about the matter. But this time was different. One of the most Ancient Predators to ever have lived, and one of the most respected was Lord.

The Lord _Predator_.

And he was an ancestor to Dark.

Spartan shrugged. "Why is it that you do not want to be proven wrong, my Ancient? It seems you have an issue with it."

"Because he is guilty, Spartan. He killed an innocent, Revenge, who had no reason to be killed." Infectious' growl was low.

"But you have yet to watch his bio-mask?" Spartan questioned.

"We haven't looked at them," scoffed Infectious. "But until the years we must wait have passed, then will we view them. But for now all we can do is sour them without any chance of proving ourselves wrong."

"Huh," grunted Spartan.

"And why question me?" hissed Infectious. "You were the one who sent them all to prison in the first place!"

"Because then I thought it was intentional." Spartan clicked slightly. "But I might reconsider that now."

"You will reconsider nothing!" roared Infectious. After calming down a second, "I am in charge here. There is nothing left that you can do for your friends other than wait for them to be proven innocent."

"They used to be my friends," snapped Spartan. "But that has changed with my age. As will their arrest."

"Or so you think," hissed back Infectious.

Spartan rolled his eyes. "What game are you proposing, Ancient?"

"Game?" laughed Infectious. "No, I speak only and all the truth."

Spartan felt his eyes narrow. "What's toying with your brain?"

"Nothing." Infectious turned back, the cloak that covered his mandibles idly twitching in the wind with the small amount of movement in the room in which they sat. "I won't be the one who claims to have never been a little bit discouraged when former loved ones are sent away."

"Apparently," mumbled Spartan, "they have committed a crime."

"In which they have!" growled Infectious. "I don't see why you bother to defend them. Revenge was just an Elite warrior seeking another kill in his Hunt and got bothered with those two! He was set up with Wolf there as well."

"You are a fool," rasped Spartan. "There was never a way for them to have committed a crime with Wolf there. According to what they say, Wolf was never in the area. And this whole tussle will end if you just instead view their bio-masks. It's the best that you can do."

"_I _am a fool?" growled Infectious, trembling with rage. "Let's see how smart you are for calling me that." He turned to the darkness, with a familiar human crying noise heard, turning to distant growling.

"What are you doing?" Spartan hissed.

"Just what you told me I was. Being a fool." And with those words and a snap of his wrist, the Thing went charging out of the darkness, right at Spartan.

And the next thing seen was a shed of bright green blood.


	5. Chapter 5

Wolf slipped into the waterfalls after two more hours of a long journey. Even though he wished to be there sooner, there would be enough time to make it. Wolf turned back to the female Yautja.

"Here we are," he growled. "The waterfalls."

The female's eyes scoured the whole clearing before turning back to the Elite Predator. "Why are we here?" she asked.

"Because," Wolf said, as he lifted up his wrist gauntlet and tapped a few buttons in with an outstretched finger, "my ship lies here."

After several more moments of waiting for something, anything to happen, a cloaked spaceship starting to uncloak, and the door to its interior opened up and Wolf nodded to it. "Woman," he said. "You must return to the Council. If you want to help me, it's the only way."

The female Predator's eyes turn wild. "No way," she hissed, stepping backwards. "You know that I can't return. I ran because I was a coward. And I stole. Now, I can't go back."

"If you insist. But at least come back to the Capitol. No one will know of your past crimes. Or whatever you were running away from," Wolf chided.

It took a second for the female Yautja to finally nod. "I don't see why not. But I need to remain undercover… just in case. That way if someone does remember me I won't be spotted and dragged off to the courts. How fast does your ship fly?"

"The speed? Fast. We'll be back at the Council in two hours at least. But know this is only my first journey in my path. It will take several trails before all of my honor is regained. During these times, you will either sneak into my ship or stay undercover at the Capitol," Wolf growled. "Sound good?"

The female nodded her head. Wolf knew she had no intentions of getting spotted after hiding for two months inside of the previous Alien infested Refinery, but both of them needed to return to the Capitol. It was for their own good, not being stranded out here.

Wolf padded ahead the female, holding his head low as he approached, flicking one dread with a toss of his head as he entered his ship. Like he mentioned, the ship would land in about two hours. That gave him plenty of time to rest and eat before he had to face Infectious. A task he really wasn't looking forward to at the moment.

Infectious could be a scary Yautja if he needed to be. Or he simply just was. After all, he was one of the younger, still capable Ancients, most of them too old to fight and kill, but the opposite to Infectious. He was just as good, better maybe, than Wolf and Spartan combined. He was a true legend to face. He earned his title as an Ancient and the leader of Beast Clan, a clan that ranked one better than Elite Clan.

The female predator filed herself onto the ship not too long after Wolf had, and she settled down. Both of them were starving, Wolf could tell. They needed food and soon. Wolf knew he had something on the ship. He turned over his shoulder and grinned.

His food was at the back compartment of the ship. Water was in a pouch for supply. The two had not brought enough food and water on their trip when they left the Refinery. Kneeling over, he opened the nozzle to the water pipe, and turned back to the female as the water ran.

"Drink," he growled, as the contents dribbled out and all over the floor. "You need to gather all the food and water that you can before you return. Failure to go into our markets may make you hungry, even in the Capitol."

The female obeyed, standing from where she sat and darted over to the water, sticking her face underneath the pipe and allowing the refreshing liquid to enter her mouth. Wolf decided to leave her to that, and he made his way back to the ship's hull where he would enter flight.

He glanced over at some of the controls before he flicked one on. The ship buzzed with light, and after entering a destination, it lifted off from the ground and started its way back into space.

The female removed her face from the water and settled her helmet on the side of the ship, where it hung with many of Wolf's other masks. She allowed herself to freely dine on Wolf's meat and prey while they traveled.

Wolf glanced back at her. "Make sure you don't eat all of that," he hissed. "Save some for me."

A click was his only reply.

Satisfied, Wolf hungered down to the meat and he decided to eat on his way. This would allow him to gain some energy back to make his way to the Council. It wouldn't be long before they returned home.

Minutes turned to hours as the two Yautja arrived among the main gates of the Capitol. Wolf remained awake the entire flight but allowed the female to fall asleep. He couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her. She was running and fleeing from the Gods know what, but she was starving and thirsty. She needed some rest.

At the front gates, eight guards stood watch. One of the guards saw their upcoming ship and raised his arm. Wolf growled behind his ship's controls. This was the most annoying process when entering the city with a vessel.

Wolf watched as the guards were cleared from their post to allow his ship a place to land. He pulled back on the panel, and the ship started to make a heavy descent downwards, and the pillars that held it up hit the firm stone landing pad.

Wolf opened the back of his ship, leaving the female inside, alone, and he turned to the guards, one who was walking over.

"Identify yourself!" hissed the guard.

Wolf had been through this process plenty of times. As if the missing mandible and white eye didn't give himself away. Bowing over, he lifted up his most used mask, and allowed the guard to take it in his hand.

"Wolf, Elite Hunter of the Elite Clan. Welcome back," he growled. He turned back to two of the other guards who were stationed towards the front of the troop. The guard nodded his head to the two of them. "Check the ship."

Wolf leapt out at them. "I have a passenger, a stray female who lost her way home from her Clan. I am bringing her to the Capitol for rest. I trust her, and I know her. She is not a stowaway."

The guard sneered behind his mask, but he nodded, if not briefly. "Very well," he snipped. "Who is she?"

"A member of the Warrior Clan," he grumbled. This was made up, he knew, but if anything this was required or everything he promised to her would be broken. "No worries, she wears some of my armor to keep her safe. She is frail and needs help. I will be taking care of her while she is resting before she returns to her Clan."

The guard nodded again.

"Oh, and try not to wake her. She is sleeping, but she needs it. She is hungry and requires as much rest as she can get," Wolf added.

For the third and final time, the guard nodded. He turned back to the other two guards who were beckoned to get on the ship and tossed his head to it. The two of them scrambled to life and they made their way through the back.

Minutes passed as Wolf waited for his ship to get thoroughly inspected. Finally, the two of them came out and nodded. "Clear," grunted one of them.

"Very well," the first guard said. He turned to four of the other guards. "Let them pass!"

After seconds of the order, the gates started to open. Wolf turned around and he headed back inside of the ship. He re-clicked some of the controls and the ship lifted off again, and they entered the Capitol for the next but certainly not the last time.

The two of them, Wolf and the female, landed at one of the hangar's inside the port. Wolf knew he had his own home where he didn't need to park inside of a hangar, but at the Capitol, there were no ships beyond this point, and the hangar ensured safety, being ordered to be built by Yautjatuk himself.

Wolf opened the back of the ship for the next time and he turned back to the female. He tapped on her shoulder lightly, and she stirred awake, blinking up at him. "Time to awake," he said, softly. "I have disguised you as a member of Warrior Clan. No one should stop you as we walk."

Reluctantly, but trustingly, she sat up from her sleep and she rolled her shoulders. She decided to take some more of the food from the counter and stuff it into her pouches, but after that, both of them exited the ship and entered Yautja society once more.

The place, as normal, was rolling with life and markets, Yautja people making their way across the large and vast home to the Council. In the midst of it all was the Council towards the back of the sharp, white colored buildings, tallest of all of them and the same shade of color, the color of snow.

Wolf and the female trekked across the opened filled streets before they finally reached Wolf's lodge, a rather large building that he had in a complex filled with much more life as well. The female padded inside to the building, and she rested on one of the beds that Wolf had, only more than one bed were Wolf to become housed with another Hunter of his clan or to find a mate.

"Sleep," Wolf said. "I will need to enter the Council soon and tell them all of what I did in my journey. It will not take long. In fact, only about thirty minutes from now. It won't be the official meeting, but a schedule for when I will really talk to Infectious."

The female just nodded sleepily and rested her head on one of the pillows. Wolf turned with a grunt and he decided to make his way out of the building and across the rugged yet filled streets of the Capitol, the largest inhabited home of the Yautja, with the largest population as well with over six million.

Minutes passed before Wolf finally returned. The female remained asleep, but Wolf heard a screech from outside of the building. He opened the door again, his mandibles twitching on edge as he couldn't believe his eyes.

Hundreds of Xenomorphs were spilling into the Capitol, less than an hour from his return. Had he been followed? Wolf didn't care much about the question now as he turned around and made his way to the sleeping female.

"We're under attack!" he roared. The female leaped awake and glanced around the room. "Not us, the Capitol. Look, I need you to stay in here over in the closet. You can't participate in the main battle, but if you need to defend yourself, do. I will be back as soon as I can."

"Surely you won't leave me here?" she growled.

"I can only do that. I won't be gone long," he reassured, before he turned around and charged out the front door, his Plasma Castor on his shoulder and his wrist blades out. He hated the Xenomorphs for attack on some of their outposts, but never as big a battle as this! What drove the serpents to their breaking point?

Wolf saw three Xenomorphs clawing aimlessly at one of the buildings that was in his complex. He rushed over when he heard cries from inside. Yautja children that were most likely with their mother, huddled in a corner for safety.

Wolf wouldn't let them die.

He pressed forward, before letting out a fearsome Yautja cry, and the three serpents turned, wildly. One of them hissed something before leaping forward, lashing their tail out and making snapping sound with their inner jaws. The other two serpents were crawling forward at a much slower pace.

Wolf used his wrist blades to counter the first Xenomorph's first attack when it lunged itself at him, and he quickly uppercut the creature with his wrist blades to make it flying back. It squealed with surprise, and the others hissed with rage, and then the others flew forward.

Wolf made short work of the third one to attack, as he used his Plasma Castor and scattered the bits of skin and organs, not to mention acidic blood, all over the floor and all over its companions. Both of them snarled with rage, and the second one darted forward to claw and kill.

Wolf lifted both of his wrist blades in a "X" across his body, and the Xenomorph's claws hit the metal, making the creature cut one of his fingers and got sent jumping backwards.

The other serpent was crawling around Wolf and leapt at one of his ankles, making Wolf crash to the ground with a startled click. The other serpent hissed at this and raced forward to claw the Yautja, but Wolf swatted at it, keeping it back as the other raced at him.

Both of the Xenomorphs were running at him now. Wolf ducked, and both of the Xenomorphs were too smart to be fooled. One of them hissed before stopping dead and lashing at the predator's side.

Green, neon blood went raking from his side as Wolf hissed. He raised his wrist blade up with an agonized scream, and sent the hull of the blade thrusted into the serpent's head, making the Alien writhe wildly as it hung for breath and blood.

The other serpent seemed less likely to attack with both of his team gone, but Wolf stood no chance. He was not going to let a one escape. While he tangoed with the Xenomorph that hung in his claws, he aimed his Plasma Castor at the remaining Alien, who squealed with surprise, and then got splattered into bits.

Finally, the one that had worked its way onto his wrist blades from squirming so much bled to death, while Wolf avoided the blood to avoid his armor getting burnt. Wolf tossed the carcass aside and he turned back to the door. He needed to ensure they were all safe.

Wolf opened the door to the building where he heard the screams and had the Alien claw marks in the door and he looked around. On the floor in the dark room, three Yautja were pressing into each other, clicking and growling with fear, but then silenced as Wolf entered.

Only to be frightened once more when a Xenomorph came crashing into the window, sending glass flying everyone as it screeched and snapped its inner jaws together. Both the mother and the two children roared with surprise, but Wolf tackled the large Warrior in the head, pinning it and giving one strong slice to its dome shaped head as it fell into two pieces.

Wolf turned back to the family. "Hide where it is safe," he growled. "Hiding here will not save you and your children."

"But my mate told me to stay here," whimpered the mother, cuddling her children closer. "If I were to leave, my mate wouldn't know where I was. He would expect the worse, especially with our broken window and dead Xenomorph."

"Your mate will be wrong. Would you rather be dead and leave him behind, or have him find you again?" Wolf snapped.

One of the children squealed loudly. "Our father says as goes," he croaked, a dribble of blood leaking from the side of his head as he spoke, pierced from the glass as the last attacker had entered. "We shall stay here, as you must protect us."

Wolf replied with a sneer. "I cannot stay," he rasped. "I have to fight in the battle to ensure the safety of others. But stay here, lock up the windows and doors with anything you have, take some weapons and stay in the most open room in here. That will be your best chance of staying alive when the serpents come back."

And with those words, Wolf turned around and he marched back from the house and back onto the streets. Buildings all over the place were lined with smoke and fire, and bodies of both dead Yautja and serpents were all over the floor, screams of hideous deaths occurring.

Then suddenly, a massive roar appeared behind him, a screech of a terrifying Praetorian. Wolf turned, and he nearly gaped when he saw a large Praetorian crawl forward with a snarl. This was the one Infectious and Spartan once told him about that went by the name of Suffer.

And behind it, that familiar little Warrior Dome, Desolation.

Both of them were covered from head to tail with green blood, none of it their own, and both of them were screeching and hissing from above. Desolation dipped into a throaty hiss before he lashed his tail out at the superior Hunter.

Wolf turned and fled, leaving the two alone in the complex. Wolf knew they would follow, so he would draw them away from the place with the children and the mother. They needed to stay alive. Wolf turned down the nearest alley, where he could hear roars of furious Hunters as they killed, and the screeches of Aliens as they did the same.

Wolf pressed himself between two buildings and attempted to crawl through them. Both of the Aliens, Suffer and Desolation, where behind him and gaining on him with immense speed. When Suffer turned to the alley, she hissed, being too large to enter. But Desolation crawled into it with what sounded like a reassuring hiss and then darted after.

Desolation crawled onto the side of a wall and started to lash out at the running Wolf as he made his way between the two white buildings. His tail tip sliced Wolf's leg, making the predator fall to the ground with a snarl.

Suffer behind him growled with victory, but Wolf nearly laughed. He could see to gas carriers at the end of the ally, next to the two houses. And if there was one thing he did when he studied serpents as a much younger boy, he knew one thing: Xenomorphs hated fire.

And they hated explosive gases with fire even more.

Wolf used his Plasma Castor and he aimed at the two barrels at the side of the three houses that led at an intersection in the alley. All of these three houses would start to burn, but two of them were already on fire, not the one on his left but on his right, the one opposing to Desolation.

Using the Plasma Castor, Wolf fired, and the serpent let out a terrified yet enraged squeal when the whole of the three buildings exploded and caught into an enormous flame. Desolation turned and he raced out of the soon-to-be rubble building and headed back to the entrance of the alley toward the screeching Suffer.

Wolf needed to escape. His lungs were filling with smoke since he wore no mask at the moment and he was getting crushed with large pieces of rubble and ash. He tore his way free and then he ran opposite to the Aliens, towards the howling flames and singing marks he was getting from them.

Soon enough, Wolf blasted through the other end, in a new, burning complex with his back, arms, and legs burning and blackened by the explosion. Roars of Aliens were not too far behind him. He collapsed to one knee as he attempted to pull himself up.

He knew this would be much harder than it looked.

Pain stung him and death offered itself to him, but he refused and pushed back up and standing on both of his muscular legs with a startled growl, he turned around to the entrance of the complex and ran to the streets.

As he hit the gore, organ, limb, you name it filled streets, he could see hoards upon hordes of Yautja fighting on one side, and many more of the serpents crawling on the other, lashing out and leaping to them with furious claw slashes.

Wolf watched with horror at the burning buildings and the tumbling mess of the Capitol and all of its beautiful buildings falling into ashes. Many Yautja bodies were scattered across the floor, and Wolf nearly collapsed again. What a horrible day.

He didn't understand. He saw Desolation curled up in a pipe when he was back at the Refinery. How did he and the rest of the Xenomorphs rally themselves without the two hours and thirty minutes of when Wolf arrived with the female?

Wolf turned and he could see many members of the Council fighting. Coyote and Guardian, with bandages wrapped around both of their legs, to which Wolf wondered why, were using their Plasma Castors and shooting off at Xenomorphs from range while predators who remained recognizable yet not members of the Council like Fox and Walrus were using their wrist blades and falling to the acidic blood of the serpents.

Wolf felt horrible. What had caused this raid?

With a turn, Wolf saw something that made his heart crash into a million of pieces. On the midst of the battle, his armor and cloaked face untouched by the falling Alien blood and gore, at the center of it all, was Infectious, slashing at the nearest Xenomorphs with graceful, legendary strides.

With him at the center of the battle, backed up with his most elite squadron, called the Beasts of the Capitol, surely the Xenomorphs would not over run them all. The Yautja would hold strong against all of them.

Or so Wolf though for a time,

Nearly twenty minutes later of more fighting, Wolf could see the line in which the predators were once holding was falling. More and more buildings were falling to the ground and crashing into the soil, with more deaths as Wolf could see.

Desolation, not to far by, was stabbing at the eyes of one Yautja and Suffer used her tail to drive it into another's stomach, and Wolf watched with horror as blood gushed from the mouth of the Yautja, and it fell to the ground, dead, with a fearsome hiss from Suffer.

Wolf twitched with rage. How dare they enter the safest city that was home to the highest amounts of Yautja! Surely there were many casualties? This was a large city, and Wolf was only watching a portion of it. It would not be long before Wolf watched his whole city in which he grew up fall to ashes and Yautja blood.

Wolf glanced behind him, and he made his way back. He needed to see if the female was okay. He didn't want her to be injured by all of this. More Xenomorphs were crashing into the line of predators, and Wolf watched with terror as Fox got himself gutted by Desolation.

Suffer saw Wolf leaving and she hissed towards Desolation. "After him!"

Desolation nodded and he streaked off after the Elite Clan Hunter, who was going back into the alley back to his older complex. Wolf was glad the fire he had once caused here was rubble, and there was no more fire. As far as Wolf could tell, there was no predator or Xenomorph in the building when he brought it down.

He wouldn't live telling himself that.

Wolf finally made his way back into his complex when claws raked down his side. Wolf roared with fury as he tumbled into the soil, blood gushing from his sides. Desolation pounced on his with a lash of his savory black tail.

Desolation lifted his tail to strike, but raised his arms to guard himself when Wolf struck back with his wrist blades to try and injury the Warrior Dome. Desolation leapt off the Hunter and he hissed, almost mockingly as he ran back up the wall and leaped off of it again.

Wolf hit the floor with a startled cry as he felt his bones crack beneath him. How he would not stand the pain for much longer as Desolation pounded at his chest with furious hisses and lashes from his long tail.

The nearly eight foot Warrior Dome lashed his own tail with his claws, purposely, making a nonpermanent injury, and his acidic blood went everywhere, falling upon the Yautja, making Wolf screech with a horrible pain. Would this be his end? Wolf surely didn't hope so.

Then, Desolation roared as he got whacked with another wrist blade, none that were Wolf's. The large predator looked up to see who had saved him.

The female stood there, her arms crossed, roughly. "Seems I need to be saving you now?" Her voice almost seemed to be taunting.

Wolf growled. "I had that under control," he breathed.

The female nearly snorted. "Not how that looked from on the other side of the complex."

Wolf was about to say something else, but Desolation was too busy lashing his tail and screaming at them. He lunged at the female predator, but she knocked him aside with her massive hand and sent the little Xenomorph flying.

Suffer watched from the building above, giving a snarl of disapproval. She turned to Desolation, who was writhing on the ground and snapping his inner jaw, and she roared above the fire of the other houses. "Kill them!" she snarled.

Desolation heard her chant and he turned to her, before he raised his claws and slashed them down the arm of the female predator, making her hiss in fury before she turned around with Wolf's command, and the two of the Yautja fled into the darkness, away from the raging fire of the nearby buildings in the complex.

As soon as Wolf and the female Yautja got to shelter, they heard a familiar voice, strong and noble above all the others, shout between the Xenomorph's mighty roars and screeches. "Fall back, Yautja!" growled Infectious. "For the Capitol is burning!"

Wolf turned to the female, who was growling softly. "I don't want to go over there," she breathed.

Wolf turned to her, a sympathetic look in his remaining eye that still had color in it. "We will stay behind the Council members. Wear this mask, and no one will confuse you with who you really are." He placed a mask of a fallen warrior in her hand. "Keep your stolen one, but do not wear it. Then you will not be confused with the other woman who went with me on my ship."

She nodded, stuffed the other helmet in her pouch, and placed the new one on her head. After a moment of hesitation, the two Yautja crawled out of the loft in which they were hiding and they turned to look over their city.

The whole place was burning before their eyes, the once beautiful white city now the ashes and contained many dead Yautja warriors, their bodies laid out upon the soil. The land was cracked and charred from Plasma Castor fires and acidic blood spilled upon the floor. Markets of hundred and dollars of valuable items were broken and burned as well, leaving the place as ruin.

The only place that remained in the sky was the Capitol Building, and even that was set aflame and burning.

The serpents were making their way out of the Capitol, their screeches to be heard from all of the Yautja who stood on the hill. From the corner of his eyes, Wolf could see the family he had saved, one of the kids on the shoulder of his mother, and the other one dead, a hole in his head in the shape of a Xenomorph's inner jaw, and a sobbing father who held his head in his hands and wept.

How he had told them to move, they had risked the lives of one of their little ones.

Wolf snorted and he turned back to Infectious and the rest of the members of the Council who stood on the hill, Infectious' cloak and armor that still remained untouched and unscathed from the blood and organs of the vicious Xenomorphs who had attacked their home.

The female predator sulked behind Wolf, and the whole of the Yautja society, no, the rest of the remaining Hunters and Mated Pairs were standing before their mighty Ancient, who seemed to have a clear idea on what they were doing next.

"We will strike a path to the head of the serpents," he called above the flame. "But it will not be today. Nor will it be anytime soon. We need to rest before we can avenge the ones we loved and cared for. There is bloodshed. There is destruction. All will be rebuilt in time."

An outrage of Yautja called. One of them stepped forward and sneered. "How did the guards at the gate not see them on the horizon? Surely we could have stopped this attack before it started? I lost my only mate and I feel like this is the doing of your so called 'safe haven for all of Yautja society,' as you called it."

Infectious remained calm. "We will seize our numbers with the other Clans and members of the planet, those who know the Hunt to no honor and no justice, but they may be able to help us. We are all Yautja, and those savages may take any chance they can to make sure they see bloodshed. Without getting into trouble while doing it."

The innocence in his voice made Wolf wonder why everyone was so stuck up to listen to every word that he said without even a little question.

Infectious growled. "Tomorrow, we will set haste upon the city of Ra'kiel and we will seek the finest warriors and hunters from its clan. They will help us regain our numbers and our honor. It will not be long before we regain what matters most to us. But first, bring forth the Wolf."

Wolf froze dead. He could feel all of the Yautja turn to face him as Infectious started to peer down at him from meters away, standing above the rest of the predators like a god. And he didn't look too happy.

Not at all. 


	6. Chapter 6

**FIVE HOURS BEFORE THE ALIEN INVASION**

Desolation slipped through the tunnels, with the stank of the remaining creature in the Refinery and the empty halls of where Suffer had left. Desolation felt a growl slip through his throat. He had been waiting far too long for her to return.

He had been curled up only thirty minutes before, waiting with the rest of the three other Aliens who were in their group who went by the names of Starvation Upbringer, Cold Riser, and Horror Divided. Cold had waited in the end of the tunnel with Starvation while Horror and Desolation crawled forward to investigate.

Horror turned left and Desolation right. It had been darkness, but Desolation could see in the dark, so it mattered not. But everything felt different went you were in a small, confined building with some creature who fancied you as their next meal.

After five minutes of walking in this tunnel, Desolation started to question whether or not this was wasting his time. Or if Suffer had even lived. He was sure she would had telepathically warned him and the rest if she was in any form of danger. Not just disappeared.

After another whole five minutes of walking down the tunnel, he heard a hiss from behind him, a growl. Desolation whirled around, turning to see if it was the creature that was there, ready to tear him apart at the rest of this place's many marine and scientists.

Suffer appeared, walking out from the duct of the right of where Desolation had walked. "Legacy," she said, dipping her head to the younger serpent, who was lashing his tail in alarm. Desolation couldn't keep the surprise back from her using his older name.

"Suffer?" he asked, tumbling forward on all four legs. "I thought that the creature had gotten you. I was worried about you." He shifted. Suffer looked slightly amused if anything, but it would only last mere moments.

"Indeed," she hissed. "Well, I have news to share with all of the Xenomorphs. Come, Desolation, we shall warn all of the news."

Desolation scrambled to his legs after the slightly taller serpent, who's much larger head was easily slipping through the tunnel. Not long after a short walk, just about ten minutes back to their meeting area, Suffer and Desolation slipped into the cranny where Starvation Upbringer and Cold Riser sat.

Starvation peered her head with a hiss. "It's about time the two of you showed up. Horror came back with as little information as ever. Welcome back, Suffer," she growled.

Desolation hissed underneath his breath but watched silently behind Suffer as she lashed her tail multiple times with annoyance. "Yes, yes, I'm back. That doesn't concern me now. We need to head back to the rest of the warriors. Tell Cold to get Horror and then we move."

Starvation dipped her head before she turned back to the Xenomorph who was sitting behind her and nodded her head, before getting up and following Cold into the tunnel to grab Horror, leaving Desolation and Suffer alone in the primary shaft.

"What did you find while you were gone?" asked Desolation, lashing his tail slightly, expanding his dorsal tubes with curiosity. "You made us wait for too long. You could have kept us updated on your survival through telepathy."

Suffer let out a small hiss, not rude, but impatient. "All while be said of my journey when we gather the others from back at the Hive's quarters outside the Refinery. Listen then, for I will only tell the story once." She lashed her tail and shot out her inner jaw. "Here comes the rest."

At the end of the tunnel, Desolation watched Starvation, Horror, and Cold pad back into view. "Alright," said Horror, her voice cold and raspy, but not of age, but her veteran Warrior rank in the Hive. "This is everyone. Let's move."

Suffer growled with the command, but she decided to let it slide. Desolation knew perfectly well why. She didn't want to waste trouble with a serpent, not now, at any rate. She didn't want to make noise and alert the creature who still lurked around as far as Desolation could tell.

The five Xenomorphs raced around the tunnels, shafts, and vents of the Refinery, avoiding all sounds as possible and keeping a low profile behind Suffer as she gracefully made her way over nails in the vents. Desolation growled softly behind Suffer hence Starvation stepped on his tail, but he managed.

It wasn't long before all of the serpents were chasing each other across sandy dunes in front of the Refinery, racing off into the direction they had come. Suffer leaped over a rock and onto a higher platform, followed by the rest of the Xenomorphs.

After a few more minutes of divided running, the five serpents appeared on the cliff where the rest of the Aliens were, sitting and eating the meat Desolation had managed to bring back from his last hunt. Some of them looked up, before continued their feast.

A male warrior who was named Extinct Blackness, a Warrior Ridged who was missing a dorsal tube and some of the spikes on his tail, turned to face the new arrivals. Suffer had left him in charge while she made her plan before they entered the Refinery.

Extinct nodded his head. "Welcome back," he growled. "There was no trouble caused by the rest of them. They were impatient, yes, but they did as they were told. The Matriarch no doubt watched them as they slept."

Suffer nodded before dismissing him with a slash of her tail. The slightly less ranked serpent just turned away without another word and he slung back to the rest of the serpents who were all sitting there, awaiting their orders.

Suffer gathered all of the Warriors, Warrior Domes, and Warrior Ridged with a wave of her claws. "Come forth," she hissed, lashing her tail. "There is news that must be shared that lies in the Refinery. Dark secrets live behind its long, black walls."

By the time she had finished her sentence, the rest of the Xenomorphs were gathered around her, whispering a few among each other and eagerly listening into the story. Suffer raked her claws into the orange, red colored sand before she withdrew a growl.

"It was while we crawled through one of the outer ducts," she began. "Me, Desolation, Starvation Upbringer, Cold Riser, and Horror Divided had been traveling forward to the Hunter's scent, when we heard an awful rattling, a massive roaring, if you would.

"The first thing we did was run inside of the Refinery and towards another duct that was well hidden and away from the noise. Desolation prompt the place before we settled down. After a while of resting, I decided I needed to explore. I left the rest our team in the tunnels, and decided not to talk to them telepathically, for all would hear. And I didn't want to worry them if I was in some sort of danger.

"I left the group and decided to stay out of any vent ducts other than when trying to get a look around at my surroundings. I could smell something, faintly, in the back of the Refinery, scratching around and digging at things.

"I went to go see what it was doing. I entered a few more rooms, before I could see the creature, standing on a few crates as if it were trying to get a look at all of its surroundings. I could hear something, a small, delicate sound. A whistle.

"The large creature let out another roar, missed by the rest of the Xenomorphs possibly because if they were sleeping during any of this, and then it disappeared. It went to sleep, and I did to after a while. I curled up in a duct and waited for something to happen.

"After a few more minutes, something was being chased by the large creature. I followed it, only to find out that it was the Hunter we have been following to eliminate. I only watched, half-amused as the Hunter fled into a vent.

"It took me only moments to realize that it was the same vent that the rest of the Xenomorphs were in. Seconds later, as I struggled to learn what to do, I heard their hisses in the vent above. Then, after another moment of paused, the vent blasted open, and I was worried about the condition of my team as the Predator used his explosive weapon to open it for freedom.

"After that, I ran up another vent to get a look at my surroundings. The creature couldn't fit much further in the vent, and then he stepped back and he took off after the Hunter again, as soon as the creature had found out where he was.

"Then, the Hunter disappeared into some sort of chamber with a female of his kind. The creature curled up into a bed and then slept. I decided then to head back to my team.

"The creature that haunts the Refinery, it seems to be controlled by a made whistle. It is not free to do whatever it pleases. From what I believe, it is being controlled by someone after being sabotaged to learn the persons trust."

The Xenomorphs lashed their tails with anger. Desolation slid backwards after he heard the story. So that was what she had learned. The nearly eight foot serpent shot out his inner jaw with contempt. Their goal was simple: Kill the Hunter and find out who controls the creature in the Refinery.

It was a few minutes later when the Xenomorphs died back down and continued their dine. Suffer and Desolation had picked a small ridge to watch the Refinery that glowed in the distance, and Suffer lashed her tail.

"I see the Hunter in the distance," she hissed. "Let's move."

Suffer turned back to the rest of the serpents who were silently mingling about their day, and she let out a large hiss to get their attention. Soon enough, a bunch of banana shaped heads had turned to look at her.

"The Hunter makes his move," she growled. "We shall follow behind him. Not to mention, he has a guest. The female I was talking about earlier. We need to see his plans. Come."

Seconds later, Suffer darted across the open fields, leaping down the tall ridge to race across the sandy dunes. She was followed by Desolation, who was quick on his paws despite missing one of his fused fingers, his right hand's furthest right toe.

This only barely affected his climbing skills. He was never a great climber, nor was he the master of stealth, for the most part. He was more expertise at his fighting skills, maybe pulling off a well thought plan or combo. He was also a decently fast runner.

The Xenomorphs all ran across the massive plains, and they lashed their tails out at anything they saw. Soon enough, what they thought to be a minute's travel turned into a few hours. Desolation boredly picked a few things from the ground and lashed a few with his tail.

Suffer didn't seem to lose her pace, and this made Desolation scramble to keep after the much larger Praetorian, the closest thing to a Matriarch a normal Warrior could get to. Desolation flicked his tail and watched Extinct Blackness from the corner of his eye.

The Warrior Dome slipped backwards to talk to the older serpent. Extinct Blackness saw him coming over, and he waved his tail as almost in a greeting to the younger Xenomorph.

"Greetings, Desolation," he said.

Desolation dipped his head. "How are things running for you?"

Extinct shrugged. "Well enough. My picked egg has been growing up well."

Desolation recoiled one of his lips into a slant, a few drops of saliva leaking from his silver teeth. "You have an egg? Picked from the Matriarch's own brood?"

Extinct nodded proudly. "She's a nice one."

"Who… the egg?"

"Indeed."

"Oh…" Desolation snorted. "I didn't know you were planning on raising a family, if only for a few days."

Extinct snorted. "Me and my mate decided to try something. We wondered what it would be like to have an egg to see you as their proud parents. She's still a little wormling, but she seems to find food in a good manner."

Desolation wrapped his claws over his snout. "Content enough." He paused for a moment. "Who's your mate? Forgive my ignorance, I don't spend much of my time talking with the others. Only Suffer seems to stay updated with those things."

Extinct hissed. "Yes, of course, of course. A young Warrior Dome like you wouldn't possibly be worried about carrying out your legacy. But when you age, you start to feel like a doing this is the right thing."

"Oh, really?" asked Desolation, who was padding at a faster rate now.

"Yes. But my mate is named Destruction Imminent. Our picked egg is called Extinct Imminent."

Desolation barely held back his laugh. "You named it after yourself?"

"Not our idea," the elder warrior snapped.

Desolation picked that as a good time to leave him alone.

Suffer, who remained at a high trot compared to the rest of the Hive, led the rest of them after the two Hunters. Desolation grunted. He couldn't recall ever seeing a female Hunter. She seemed… odd. At least to a Xenomorph's description.

It was another hour or so of complete silence within the Hive. Soon enough, they reached some waterfalls that shone high in the sky; it seemed almost mountains tall. Desolation watched as the two Hunters paused, spoke to each other, then a ship arrived.

All of the serpents paused to watch as the Hunters continued to speak to each other. Then, the back of the ship opened. Suffer turned back to look at her friend, and she lashed her tail. "We're sneaking in," she whispered.

"Alright," Desolation growled. "Where should we enter?"

"Towards the front." She motioned to a side vent next to the massive ship's front. "That thing is huge. We'll manage to sneak in before he reached the control panel, I'm sure. Quickly, or we'll be seen!"

After the command, the thousands of feet of little and large Xenomorphs trekked across the sand, and Desolation watched as Extinct Blackness slipped forward and attempted to make a dent in the side of the ship, but Suffer leapt onto her large legs and tossed him back with her forearms, hissing deadly, but silently.

"Someone as clumsy as you will be heard!" she growled. "I'll do it."

She slipped forward and made such a move of perfection with her claws, snagging the vent and silently tearing down the firm metal on the side of the Hunter's ship. Desolation watched with admiration. Nearly no Xenomorph would be able to move with such grace as that.

"Do you see a human?" asked Extinct, tapping Desolation's shoulder with his tail. "You seem to be rather focused."

"I'm paying attention," hissed the younger Xenomorph with a lash of his tail and a sink of his claws into the hard sand. "Maybe to make a vent open like that so silently will be of use to the Hive. Mongrel!"

Extinct hissed with anger, but Suffer shot him a look from over her large head. Extinct, knowing his place in the Hive, stepped back but he continued to glare at the Warrior Dome with such a sneer it nearly replaced itself in the rocks nearby.

Suffer was the first to engage into the Hunter's ship, and she crawled left into a tunnel that lead further in the ship. Desolation jumped in next, nearly losing his balance thanks to his missing finger, but he managed. Extinct nearly laughed, he could tell.

Soon enough, the rest of the Hive started to crawl into the tunnel and made their way after their leader, Suffer. She picked a large area in the vent that had many pockets for sleeping spots. There were almost nine hundred Xenomorphs in that massive ship.

Desolation padded over to Suffer as she curled up in one of the pockets that she had decided were good for resting. Desolation lashed his tail to get her attention. She looked up, and she shot out her inner jaw.

"What is it?" she hissed.

"I thought maybe I could double check to make sure that the Hunters are not checking the vents," he offered. Suffer silently gazed at him, but she nodded after a moment.

Desolation knew this would only be a moment. He turned around and he dashed in to the empty holes of the ship's vents and he peered outside of one of the vents that had many holes on it. He couldn't see anything, but he could smell what they were doing and where they were.

Both of them were in the main room, but one of them was trying to fall asleep and the male was too busy working on the control panel to even learn of the serpents' presence on their ship. Desolation lashed his tail. This was working well.

With nine hundred Xenomorph firepower, a secret invasion of a massive Yautja ship, Desolation was silently beginning to wonder. What was Suffer planning? He needed to know, so he turned back around and he went to face Suffer for another chat.

"Is there anything that you are trying to do with the Hunters?" he asked her.

She seemed slightly irritated with her bugging him, but she dismissively waved her tail. "Depending on where we are taken, we are going to attack the Hunters in the heart of their base, in the most sacred of places. With this number of Xenomorphs, we shall win."

"Do you mean the Capitol?" he asked, his jaw nearly dropping. "We may have nine hundred Xenomorphs, but they have over six million Hunters! How should we win?"

"Six million, along with children, mothers, and elders. Trust me," she said, lashing her tail and curling her large, toothy mouth back in what almost looked like a grin, "we will not be stopped."

* * *

Claw and Dark raced into the open door, using their Plasma Castors to shoot at the guards. The Elite Squadron was taking fire under surprise. Claw lashed his wrist blades at one of them, and they let out a snarl of pain as he was stabbed.

Dark raced in, using his own blades to pierce the head of the guard, who screamed in agony, before falling to the ground, dead. Claw glanced at him, before he sheathed his blades. "Well done, brother," he said, nodding his head with a flick of his dreads.

"You as well," he grinned.

Claw didn't return the gesture. "Hold on," he said, lifting his hand into the air as if detecting something. "I hear someone."

Dark turned back to the door before he tried to peer at a black armored guard in the door, who had dual Plasma Castors, dual wrist blades, and a long Combi-Stick on his back that had etched the faces of many dead Yautja.

Dark nearly gaped.

The Toxic Predator, Infectious' most trusted and most talented Elite member, the most loyal servant of the Ancient. Toxic unsheathed both of his blades, and he aimed both of his Plasma Castors as the two other Predators at the other end of the hall. He also was armed with two dual Plasma Cannons that dangled at his waist.

Claw leapt out of the way when the blue, energized Plasma was fired at him, and Dark did the same. Toxic raced forward, his black visor not reflecting any light in the room whatsoever. He was part of an Elite Squadron, sure, but this Yautja was an Elder.

And pure badass.

Toxic leapt over both of them, curling his legs underneath his body, making onto the chandelier, and then pulling out one of his Plasma Cannons into his hands while he aimed his Plasma Castors at the both of them.

Both of the Predators rolled out of the way, and Toxic growled from above. He leapt off the chandelier, and he landed on the ground with a heavy thump, his immense weight but slender form remaining diligent as he fought.

Claw swore in a language so ancient not even Infectious would be able to tell what he had said. He turned back to Dark, who was leaping all over the place to avoid Toxic's heavy fire. Claw growled at him.

"Idiot, take cover behind the statue!" he called.

Dark turned back to him with a sneer behind his mask, but he did as he was told from the older Predator. He raced behind the Infectious statue, and Toxic stopped firing, but he turned his attention over to the other Yautja.

Claw raced across the clearing, before he took the time to aim his Plasma Castor at the taller Yautja, before he fired. Toxic managed to struggle out of the way, but the chandelier he sat upon snapped from the ceiling, and plummeted to the ground.

Toxic growled with agony as he was impaled into the floor, and Claw attempted to fire at him, but he leapt out of the way and over to the wall behind Dark. Dark turned with his wrist blades and attempted to hit the Elder, but Toxic blocked, and Dark's wrist blades bounced against the metal, stunning him.

Toxic attempted to upper-cut the much younger Predator in the chin with his right wrist blade, but Claw fired an un-aimed shot at Toxic with his Plasma Castor, making the Elder turn around with a roar before leaping across the room behind a pillar keeping the wall up.

Dark, angrier than before, used his Plasma Castor to shoot at the Toxic Predator, and the pillar in which he hid behind broke free, making part of the wall crumble. Both Toxic and Claw growled in alarm, and Toxic rolled out of the way as the chunks of wall came crashing down on where he used to be.

Claw spun around to glare at Dark behind his mask. "You moron!" he hissed, nearly shoving his own wrist blades in Dark's face while Toxic remained stunned from the fall. "You'll bring the whole place down on top of us!"

Dark breathed out. "It was only one pillar!"

"Doesn't matter!"

A Combi-Stick flew by their heads, and both of them turned around to see Toxic pulling another off his back and aiming at them. Claw shoved Dark out of the way while another was launched, and Claw got speared through the leg.

He roared in agonizing pain, and Dark did the same in a rampaging fury. He raced at the Elder Yautja and attempted to slash and stab at his chest and unexposed torso with light, fast attacks, but Toxic blocked them and slashed the younger Yautja in the face, making him growl with rage.

Toxic looked alarmed behind the mask as Dark used a slower, more powerful attack against the Elder, and Toxic got bowelled backwards, his dreads falling after his tumbling body when he hit the debris made in the room, and he screamed in pain.

Claw was busy removing the Combi-Stick from his leg, and he finally pulled it out with a spurt of green blood. Claw silently screeched in his head, and then he turned to look as his friend and Toxic were battling in the other side of the room.

Claw lifted the Combi-Stick and he flung it at Toxic, hitting the Predator in the arm, and forced the Elder to drop his Plasma Cannon that he held in his hands. Dark pulled out his own Combi-Stick, and tossed it at Toxic, hitting the Predator in the leg.

Toxic growled with untampered rage, before he pulled the Combi-Stick out of his arm and he hauled it at Dark, also making the younger Yautja fall back as he was hit in his side. Claw growled with fury, trying to stand but failing with his injured leg.

Despite his leg injury, Toxic pulled the bloody Combi-Stick from his leg, and he used another one to hit Dark in the other leg, and made the Yautja scream with pain. Toxic let out unearthly laughs from behind his mask.

Claw did all he could to stand to his legs, and he pulled his Smart-Disk from his side and he unleashed it with a lash of his fingers. While Toxic approached the dying Yautja on the other side of the room, Claw used his Smart-Disk and flung it at the Elder Predator, lashing him across his unexposed torso and making the Predator look his way.

Claw tried to dash behind one of the pillars, but Toxic was racing his way. Both of the younger Yautja were struggling against just one Yautja, but none of them were giving up. Not yet.

Claw pulled out another Smart-Disk, since his other was stuck in the wall on the other side of the room, and he tossed it at Toxic, making the disk fly around the room and strike the Predator several more times across the cheek and chest.

Dark was gasping for breath behind all of them, looking down as green blood tumbled from his side and his leg, and he hissed with pain. He could see Claw fighting with Toxic on the other side of the room, but Toxic just wouldn't die. Dark looked down, and he aimed his Plasma Castor, weakly, at the Elder and fired at the unsuspecting Predator.

Toxic turned around, before getting blasted backwards in another white wall, hitting a pillar and then crashing backwards into another door, before finally hitting the earth with his chest.

Dark looked to Claw, who was now standing on both of his legs once more, dusty and green with blood and debris, and then Claw turned back to Dark, who was stuck to the floor with two Combi-Stick stuck both ways through him.

Claw raced over, staring down at his friend as green, neon blood spurt from his mouth. "You fool," he scolded.

"I'll live," Dark growled. "Barely, but go kill that bastard."

Claw wheeled around, but when he looked to the wall where the Elder Yautja had been tossed to the ground, he was gone.

Dark grunted. "Or not."

Claw spun back to his friend. "I'll need to get these out of you," he whispered, softly. "Try not to scream."

Dark could only growl as his friend wrapped his fingers tightly across the Combi-Stick that went through Dark's thigh, and he tugged it out, but Dark held his screams, keeping his mandibles closed.

Claw then turned to the other, before he tore that one from Dark's stomach, making the Predator gasp in pain, but he indeed, just as he said, kept silent.

Both of the Yautja started at each other before Claw knelt over and he pulled out some bandaging from his Wrist Gauntlet's first-aid pouch, and he started to wrap Dark's leg after putting some white gel on the wound.

He repeated the same for Dark's side, and he gave some strengthening shots into Dark's arm, before he extended his hand to help his friend to his feet. Dark took the clawed hand, and he wobbled to his legs.

"There," Claw said, dusting himself off and then using some of the gel on his own leg wound and wrapping it in the bandage. "The trackers are in the next room."

Dark nodded, and using Claw as a supporting crutch across the room and into the next door, they hobbled into Infectious' office, and Dark took a seat on the floor.

"Go ahead and open it," he growled. "I need to rest. That bastard will go run out and tell Infectious, you know."

Claw nodded. "I know."

"What should we do about it?" Dark asked.

Claw shrugged. "We wait."

Dark hardly seemed satisfied with that answer, but he growled underneath his breath and remained on the floor while Claw aimed his Plasma Castor at the lock where the trackers were, and he cracked it open, before he started to look around for Wolf's.

Soon enough, after minutes of piling through each of them, he pulled up the one that was labeled with his friend's name. "Here we are."

Dark turned back to look at him, before he gently leapt to his legs and he walked over, before he nodded his head in approval. "How do we use it?"

"We should connect it to the computer over there," Claw responded, walking across the room and placing the tracker into the computer, with an added snort. Dark paced over as well while Claw sat down on the chair next to the computer and waited for the tracker to respond.

After a second, Claw could barely believe his eyes.

"He is in the Capitol!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Dark asked, peering down at the screen. "That cannot be right! Wolf would have messaged us and the rest of the Council if he was on his way back! Try again!"

Claw snapped his head to the younger Predator. "This is accurate," he hissed. "Wolf is home."

Dark barely believed his eyes. "We need to go find him this instant. Dark things are stirring here, and I don't like it."

Claw nodded as he disconnected the tracker from the computer and stuffed the item into his pack. "We need to move and go find him."

Both of the Yautja left the door to the office and they trudged across the debris filled clearing, and they took the nearest window from the Capitol and began walking across the third story of the building.

"Did it say where?" Dark asked.

Claw shook his head. "It only said a mile range. He seems to be at the loading bay."

Dark growled. "Then we go there!" he hissed.

"No!" roared Claw. "We need to lose our trail, and then we will go find him. Let's go back to the alley and wait for a few more hours."

Dark groaned. "A few hours?" he asked. "It seems a little long for my taste."

Claw growled at his younger friend. "Make do," he retorted, stubbornly.

The two Yautja leaped across building and made their way across the many buildings before finally dropping down into the alley where they were lastly at before they finally found the tracker that they needed.

Claw plopped down and he dug at some dirt with a bored look on his face after he removed his mask and placed it down next to him. He was cut and bloody, that was for sure, and Dark, no better.

Dark straightened up the place before he landed down on a homemade bed that he created with some pillows and trash and he curled up. Claw barely laughed. "You're going to sleep?" he asked.

Dark grunted. "We both could use the rest, you know."

Claw only sighed. "Very well. I hope your wounds heal well, brother."

Dark nodded his head. "And you the same."

After walking about the alley and finding garbage and pillows, Claw made his own bed and then he nestled in, making sure his helmet and armor was safe before he closed his eyes. He could barely think. The only thing on his mind:

Was Infectious now looking for them?


End file.
